Europe ultimately in Adu's future
The transfer talk regarding Freddy Adu was bound to start at some point, but the rumors of a potential move to English club Reading have to be considered a bit of a head-scratcher.
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Has D.C. United's Freddy Adu played his last season in MLS?
An Adu move next summer, when he turns 18, is a very real possibility, but the rumored Reading move doesn't make much sense. The first thing to consider is why a team such as Reading would consider shattering its own transfer record for a player who may not even secure a work permit in June, when he would become eligible? Adu doesn't have the national team appearances to qualify for the work permit, and Reading doesn't have the pull to have an appeal for a permit granted. This is also assuming that the loan deal would be allowed, considering that Adu would be 17 at the time and FIFA rules prevent players younger than 18 from playing outside their countries of citizenship.
While Reading doesn't make much sense as a destination, the maneuver that would land Adu in Europe does. He wants to go abroad as soon as possible, and D.C. would surely not mind having an allocation to work with in the offseason.
This might explain how a rumor like this gets started. It may have even been MLS or Adu's people who floated the idea in order create some buzz and create a market for the young midfielder's services.
An Adu move in January would work well for all involved. It would allow Adu to jump right into a new season instead of spending months doing nothing while he waited for the next MLS campaign to begin. It would also allow MLS to move a step closer toward recouping a good-sized transfer fee for a player it spent considerable money on.
An Adu move in January would be most ideal for D.C. United, which would have to deal with having Adu count as a max salary player in 2007. According to sources within MLS, only $50,000 of the approximate $550,000 Adu is earning this year is counting toward D.C. United's cap. Next year, which would be Adu's fourth in the league, he would count between $310,000 and $350,000, a figure that would put a serious squeeze on a talent-laden D.C. United team that also has to find a way to reward grossly underpaid talents such as Bobby Boswell, Josh Gros and Troy Perkins.
Adu's departure would help relieve cap issues from a standpoint of Adu's contract not being on the books; plus, his transfer would surely land the club an allocation that D.C. could use for further cap relief and to find new talent.
Transfer rumors aside, the real question is whether Adu is really ready to make the move abroad. In the first half of the MLS season, the answer appeared to be a resounding yes. He showed a maturity and development of skills that suggested he was progressing at a rate worthy of all the hype. Adu has slowed considerably in the season's second half, struggling to keep up his blistering pace much as D.C. United has, but he still has shown enough flashes to suggest that he would not be out of his element playing in a top European league. He has improved his strength and his passing ability despite still struggling to find consistency, which probably should be expected from such a young player.
One thing about the Reading rumor is that a club like Reading would be a good fit for Adu, a smaller team where he would have a stronger chance of battling for minutes. At a club like Chelsea or Manchester United, Adu would struggle to even make the active squad. The only problem with getting Adu to a smaller club is figuring out how to still get the type of transfer fee you would expect to secure for the services of a talented 17-year-old.
Could this really be the end of the road for Adu in MLS? If it is, Adu's three years in the league will go down in the eyes of many as a disappointment. Not because he didn't develop as a player but because he failed to live up to expectations and hype that he never had a realistic chance of fulfilling. Adu has grown as a player and still looks like he could be the type of special talent U.S. Soccer desperately needs to develop. Though it feels like Adu's tenure in MLS flew by, it is time for the young star to make the move to Europe that he was destined to make from the moment he signed with the league.
Game Previews
And we are down to four. Four teams vying for two playoffs spots. Call it Separation Saturday, as two games control the playoff fates of our fringe teams. Kansas City and the Red Bulls are still jockeying for the final East spot (you can pencil New England in as the No. 3 seed at this point) while Real Salt Lake is ready to push Colorado for the last spot. The Red Bulls will look to knock off a Fire squad that surely will be hung over from its U.S. Open Cup-winning celebration on Wednesday, while the Wizards will attempt to strengthen their hold on a playoff spot while putting RSL's playoff hopes on life support.
Real Salt Lake at Kansas City Wizards
The most important game of the weekend pits one team hanging on to a playoff spot against a team still on the outside looking in. Real Salt Lake has had its ups and downs, but John Ellinger's squad seems to find a way to get results when it needs them the most. Kansas City is unbeaten in its past five home games, but the Wizards are still waiting for Eddie Johnson to emerge from his long hibernation. Expect a defensive struggle as neither team finds the three points it desperately needs: Wizards 0, Real Salt Lake 0.
Chicago Fire at New York Red Bulls
So you are Chicago Fire coach Dave Sarachan, and you've just won the U.S. Open Cup, a title that means a winner's medal and sizeable check for every player on the roster. Do you rest most of your starters in Saturday's game against the Red Bulls or do you look to continue the momentum of a strong second-half surge? Look for Sarachan to rest several starters, but Chicago's unmatched depth should keep this game interesting. Do the Red Bulls really have any fight left? Their late rally in a 4-3 loss to D.C. would seem to suggest so, but this will be the real test. If Youri Djorkaeff and Amado Guevara can't muster superstar performances against the Fire, the Red Bulls don't really deserve a playoff spot. It says here that Djorkaeff and Guevara will find a way to spin some magic: Red Bulls 2, Fire 1.
Colorado Rapids at New England Revolution
We are still waiting for the Revs to put on that late-season surge we have grown so accustomed to after seeing it happen for years. That surge might not come this time, not with its best all-around player, Shalrie Joseph, sidelined by hand surgery. Luckily for New England, it still boasts enough attacking options to fend off a Rapids team that has been pitiful on the road (2-9-3): Revolution 2, Rapids 1.
FC Dallas at Columbus Crew
You have to give credit to Sigi Schmid. His Crew team is decimated by injuries and basically out of the playoff hunt, yet the Crew keep playing tough matches, most recently a well-earned 1-1 tie with Houston. It will take more than guts to keep up with the Hoops, who are just too good offensively to be slowed down by a vulnerable Columbus defense. Carlos Ruiz and Kenny Cooper find the net in a romp: FC Dallas 2, Crew 0.
D.C. United at Houston Dynamo
With just one win in its last six MLS matches, the Dynamo have picked a bad time to lose their form. D.C. appears ready for a strong postseason run and has too much firepower for Houston to deal with, even at home: D.C. United 2, Dynamo 0.
Chivas USA at Los Angeles Galaxy
Wouldn't you love to be Bob Bradley this week? You have moved into second place in the West, and now you face the archrival Galaxy with a chance to eliminate them from playoff contention; top it off with the fact that Alexi Lalas, the man who fired Bradley as MetroStars head coach last year, is now running the Galaxy. Chivas USA has been the better team all year, anyway, so a win here wouldn't be a surprise, but the added incentive to beat the Galaxy should make for a memorable match: Chivas USA 3, Galaxy 1.
Last week: 4-2
Overall: 54-70
Ives Galarcep covers MLS for ESPN.com and is a writer and columnist for the Herald News (N.J.). He can be reached at Ivespn79@aol.com.
