Adu to RSL!
In a genius move, Freddie's been sent to Real Salt Lake along with Nick-the-expensive-wonder-drawf-Rimando for a back-up keeper, an international allocation to be named later and a portion of the proceeds when Freddie inevitably goes away to a European league.
I say genius move because the weight of expectation surrounding Adu will only get heavier this year, prompting more tantrums that DCU can ill afford. Adu will be reunited with his youth coach who may be a better influence on him and curb some of the petulance that he's developed. And DCU is out from under Freddie's massive salary allocation, a problem that's kept us from getting new blood in to fill the striker role and barely concealed resentment from his teammates who put in more useful minutes for far less money.
And as an added bonus, if anyone is silly enough to put Nick Rimando in goal again, maybe we can start victimizing him the way the other clubs have victimized us.
Win-win!
posted by gooner71 @ 8:52 AM
8 Comments:
This move is sure to banish Freddie to obscurity....and I can't argue with that. He's been a massive disappointment for the league after incredible hype when he joined. Remember that drooling 60 Minutes piece?
The right move would probably have been for him to make a move to either Holland or France, leagues not nearly as physical or technically sophisticated. Beasley was able to build his rep in Holland and there was a chance that Freddie could've done the same. As it is now, he'll be swept into the footie dustbin of history, along with Landycakes.
One last question - we've missed the discussion of Klinsmann bailing out on the U.S. team and the Federation's choice of Bob Bradley as U.S. coach. Any comments on that appointment?
The MLS doesn't punish players, do they? They just reunite a faltering phenom with his youth mentor in a team that would throw him straight into a starting striking role.
I think that the circus around this kid is not over by a long chalk. He's determined to get away as soon as he turns 18, which realistically means no earlier than August if RSL don't look like making the playoffs. I'm just glad that his ambition will be creating turmoil somewhere else.
And if anything will put a fire under his ass, being offered the Book of Morman about 80 times a day should.
The bungling of the Klinsmann appointment must be addressed. It looks like Gulati leaked the news that Klinsi was in the bag as a move to force him into a decision. What was the rush? We only have friendlies and the Copa and the Olympics to concentrate on until 2010 qualifying starts in 2008. Now it's a categorical no from Klinsmann and second-choice Bob has the job. A perfomance like that should get Sunil the sack, but watch him survive.
If second-choice Bob had been temporary solution designed to get the US by, that wouldn't be too bad. The timetable would still have allowed someone top-notch to come in and find replacements for McBride, Keller and the old guard, install an engine in the midfield, and recognize who's ready to break through and challenge.
Now that this is the US Fed's choice to lead us to SA 2010, the best they can hope for is another easy qualifying campaign and unjustified group seeding that results in another miraculous Japanorea performance. Too bad our FIFA ranking took a real hit after the Germany adventure, but it's still only Mexico that should give us a game and even then only in the Azteca.
I've posted before that with the options available to Arena before Germany, a repeat or something close to Japanorea could have been achieved but for Arena's lack of tactical ability and his poor overall strategy. There was no evidence that we even had a plan or had any idea of who were were up against. But once Koller went down, the Czechs suddenly had to rely on the increasingly unreliable Prague Barbie and fizzled. Italy? A very tall order and if it had been them Mullering us, you'd have said ok. Ghana? I say beatable and certainly playable to a stalemate.
Hopefully in Bradley, they have picked a guy who like Arena can plan, but unlike Arena isn't #1, hide-bound on playing the unfit and incapable from his roster--step up Reyna, Wolff, Ching, etc, #2, is able to inspire the shiftless--yes, you Landon, and #3, have some idea of which of his subs is capable of saving his bacon when things go oblong.
But Landon's gushing over the Bradley appointment makes you wonder if Bob is the guy to settle Landon's hash. I think it's more likely that we'll see Landon settle into a comfort level that Reyna enjoyed under Arena. That sure went well for us.
This is no step forward. No way is Bob the man capable to make the US legitimate hopes for quarter-final and perhaps beyond contenders.
I'm glad my nickname isn't "Second Choice Bob." I think "gatorbob" is much more flattering. Yes, Bradley is distinctly second rate and I'm afraid his side will be too.
According to Nick and Steven on WSD today, the USF had agreed to all of Klinsmann's demands, including his control of the U.S. national team's schedule, including the choice of opponents and the ability to cherry-pick players during the MLS season. The straw that broke the camel's back was a squabble over Nike vs. Adidas sponsorship. Herr Klinsy wanted the three stripes on the kit whereas USF backs Nike.
You're right that Sunil and the USF behaved badly during the whole sorry saga, but in the end I think Jurgen asked for just a wee bit too much.
It's a seller's market in top-coaches and if this broke down because of a kit squabble, that's really reason to fire-bomb the USF offices.
The chance to get Klinsmann and the chance to 86 those wretched NIKE kits spurned? What a missed sitter of a decision.
As for Adu, the Fiver is quoting Ferguson as saying that he doesn't see a way back to Man United for the boy because of his shocking attitude.
Which is rich coming from a guy that coddled the sociopathic Keane and Cantona and currently counts the ridiculous fop Skipiano and Gaz Nevelle in the squad. To say nothing of the human Molotov that is Rooney. Adu must have really screwed the pooch at his trial.
It's got to be a work-rate issue. Ferg doesn't care if you're having eighteen pints a night with Kylie Minogue draped on your arm as long as your lungs are up to it on game-day.
Bet Furg's also a bit suspicious of how far he can progress with the background he has.
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