Martin Rogers writes that when Freddy Adu was launched to stardom in 2003, when Nike slapped a cool million dollars on the back of a precociously talentedninth-grade soccer sensation, Adu was earmarked for success in 2010. But with the World Cup just a few months away, Adu is fighting to revive his career in the Greek league.
Adu is stillonly 20 but his career has hit roadblocks at virtually every turn with each new direction only seeming to lead to another dead end. As time ticks by, there is an increasing danger that he will go downas a footnote in American soccer history, a cautionary tale to be brought out when the hype machine flares up to herald the next generation’s boy wonder.
“When young players try to movetheir careers along, there are no givens, no guarantees, and that is the way the game works,” U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. “Whatever team you are in you need to establish yourself andwhat you are all about, show you are someone who helps, that you are a winner, someone that does things that count. That is the challenge. …
“Freddy is still young and he will tell youthere are things along the way he did right and things he did wrong. Now he has to take all those things to the situation he is in and show he is continuing to grow. Just like any other player wewatch and see how it goes. There is no other way around it.”