Grant Wahl did an excellent 6 part podcast series on Freddy Adu. Its sure to be a 30 for 30 when Adu allows. Apparently, he doesn't do these types of "what happened" interviews but made an exception for Wahl.
Adu remains one of the greatest mysteries in American sports history. How can a kid, at 14 years old, a HS freshman, get major minutes for an MLS Cup winning side but in his late 20s, still pretty close to prime soccer age, gets cut from USL teams. It just doesnt make any sense. I mean for all the talk about maybe a lack of work ethic, bad attitude, money ruining him, whatever, if he was that good at 14, you'd think when he was in his late 20s, he could show up at a team like the Riverhounds and just dominate. But he probably couldn't even make the Riverhounds, which is just astounding.
Couple notes on the podcast
- Maybe the earliest form of "birtherism" were those questioning Adu's age. Many people didn't believe he was 14. Grant Wahl hired someone in Ghana to research and they did find a birth certificate proving his age. However, its still rumored that could have been altered or just mistyped with the wrong birth year. Apparently, in the early to mid 2000s, there were some African players in the European leagues that were found to have mis-stated their age.
- OK, but still, even if he was 17 at the U17 World Cup instead of 14 and 20 at the U20 WC instead of 17, he was one of the best players in those tournaments. I mean if you picked the top players from the youth World Cups, surely all of them would be AT LEAST Riverhounds-level in their late 20s/early 30s.
- Played for 14 teams in 13 years
- Only played 121 matches after leaving DC United at age 17. 121 matches. Which is basically 3 seasons worth. That's nuts.
- Disappointingly, the podcast didn't get into the hard truths. I mean, listen, obviously Adu peaked at 14 or 15 which is almost impossible (again the age thing?), so if he didnt improve, why? What made him such a bad player? I needed someone to get more technical. I needed a coach to say "honestly, when I had him at 24, he waz the worst player on the team because he couldnt do this, this, and this."
- Despite making $8 million in his career, he sold his 2004 MLS Cup medal on ebay for $35. He sold his Confederations Cup Silver Medal for $410 and his 2006 Olympic Credential Badge for $25.
- Lives with his mom in the house he bought for her when he was a teenager
- Currently is a coach for Next Level Soccer Club in Hanover, MD.
- He's still only 31 and says his career is not over. Would be fun to see a club like the Riverhounds sign him. I'd buy a ticket.
Adu remains one of the greatest mysteries in American sports history. How can a kid, at 14 years old, a HS freshman, get major minutes for an MLS Cup winning side but in his late 20s, still pretty close to prime soccer age, gets cut from USL teams. It just doesnt make any sense. I mean for all the talk about maybe a lack of work ethic, bad attitude, money ruining him, whatever, if he was that good at 14, you'd think when he was in his late 20s, he could show up at a team like the Riverhounds and just dominate. But he probably couldn't even make the Riverhounds, which is just astounding.
Couple notes on the podcast
- Maybe the earliest form of "birtherism" were those questioning Adu's age. Many people didn't believe he was 14. Grant Wahl hired someone in Ghana to research and they did find a birth certificate proving his age. However, its still rumored that could have been altered or just mistyped with the wrong birth year. Apparently, in the early to mid 2000s, there were some African players in the European leagues that were found to have mis-stated their age.
- OK, but still, even if he was 17 at the U17 World Cup instead of 14 and 20 at the U20 WC instead of 17, he was one of the best players in those tournaments. I mean if you picked the top players from the youth World Cups, surely all of them would be AT LEAST Riverhounds-level in their late 20s/early 30s.
- Played for 14 teams in 13 years
- Only played 121 matches after leaving DC United at age 17. 121 matches. Which is basically 3 seasons worth. That's nuts.
- Disappointingly, the podcast didn't get into the hard truths. I mean, listen, obviously Adu peaked at 14 or 15 which is almost impossible (again the age thing?), so if he didnt improve, why? What made him such a bad player? I needed someone to get more technical. I needed a coach to say "honestly, when I had him at 24, he waz the worst player on the team because he couldnt do this, this, and this."
- Despite making $8 million in his career, he sold his 2004 MLS Cup medal on ebay for $35. He sold his Confederations Cup Silver Medal for $410 and his 2006 Olympic Credential Badge for $25.
- Lives with his mom in the house he bought for her when he was a teenager
- Currently is a coach for Next Level Soccer Club in Hanover, MD.
- He's still only 31 and says his career is not over. Would be fun to see a club like the Riverhounds sign him. I'd buy a ticket.
