By Ridge Mahoney, Senior Editor
Soccer America Magazine
A teenage tantrum is just that, except when Freddy Adu is railing against the world's injustices.
Just last week, in a telephone interview, Adu went as far as to say, ''I got my butt handed to me'' playing for the U.S. under-20s at the World Youth Championships in June, and also said, ''What I went through with the U-20s opened my eyes. I went there with the wrong attitude and I ended up playing like crap.''
Now his attitude appears to be back in the toilet.
After moving in and out of the starting lineup for D.C. — which went unbeaten in four games while he was with the U-20s and has played well this season with him and without him — all of a sudden, on the eve of the playoffs, he's being suppressed? Or repressed? Or is this latest furor a product of adolescent frustration imposed by realities borne by certain adults?
''It's definitely tough being much younger than most of the guys,'' he said last week. ''We don't share the same interests. That's just how it is. A lot of them have families and kids, and when I get done with soccer, I just come home and chill. I have nothing else on my mind.''
FRUSTRATED. Obviously something, or someone, is working on that mind. The subject of much Adu-lation mutated into Freddy the Frustrated Tuesday at a D.C. United press conference. He's played in every game he's been available for this season for the defending league champion, which is stacked to the gills with older and more experienced attackers, but it's not enough.
His peers made the news a few months ago when a newspaper columnist parlayed their grousing into a story and Alexi Lalas, the rocking GM of the MetroStars, belted out a backing chorus so robustly MLS fined him.
This time, the angst came from the boy himself.
Adu is smart enough to count the numbers adding up against him. Jaime Moreno and Christian Gomez have two attacking spots locked up. Alecko Eskandarian has been sidelined since June with a concussion, yet since then Santino Quaranta and Jamil Walker have produced consistently. On Saturday, D.C. announced that Argentine forward Lucio Filomeno had received his work visa and was eligible for the playoffs. Freddy, whose sensational goal Oct. 5 against Real Salt Lake was chosen Goal of the Week, came on as a sub against the Columbus that night and didn't do much in a 2-2 tie.
WORLD CUP CHANCES. Sunday was a day of rest. Monday was an off day. Tuesday, Freddy flipped out. He attacked D.C. United coach Peter Nowak for impairing his chances of making the 2006 World Cup team
Prior to yesterday, Nowak had praised Adu's improvement this season in understanding team concepts and tactics.
''It's still a process but I'm very happy with a lot of aspects of the game with Freddy,'' Nowak said. ''As I have said he cannot play one-way soccer. I think right now we are coming to the point he can really have an impact in our postseason. We have other options, yes, but he is doing really well right now and every single day he learns something new, something challenging, and he wants to play a good role for this team in the playoffs.''
With his comments on Tuesday, Adu has certainly impacted D.C. United's postseason, not to mention next season.
It's not easy playing for Nowak. He roughs up the egos of his players regularly. Soothing he isn't. His brusque, hard-ass manner pounds away day after day, week after week, month after month, especially without veteran leaders like Ryan Nelsen and Earnie Stewart to tamp down the tempers.
Jaime Moreno is admired by everyone in the organization, but he leads by his talents, not by resolving conflicts.
QUARANTA'S REBOUND. Former D.C. defender Eddie Pope didn't speak up often, but commanded respect when he did. During a training session a few years ago Pope knocked down Quaranta just to let him know he was mouthing off too much.
Now Quaranta is playing the minutes, logging the stats, and getting the national-team call-ups Freddy craves. Four years ago, Quaranta was the 16-year-old wunderboy and Commissioner's Pick for the All-Star Game. Two years ago, with a pregnant teenage girlfriend and a damaged MCL suffered in the aftermath of abdominal hernia surgery, Quaranta's soccer prospects were bleak.
Now he's a father who's on the cusp of making the 2006 World Cup team.
''We've been working very hard since the preseason with Santino to make sure he's going to be mentally fit because a lot of things have happened to him in his private life, so fast,'' says Nowak. ''We just want to make sure he puts soccer into the No. 1 priority. You have to sacrifice some things. You cannot have all of the things off the field and on the field be the same.''
But this isn't a vendetta against Quaranta, or any of his teammates. Adu, as teens are wont to do, is blaming the most convenient adult — Nowak, as gruff and stern as any demanding dad or heartless PE teacher — and talking about running away.
There are other adults involved, too: his psychological guru, Trevor Moawad; his family adviser and former youth coach, Arnold Tarzy; and his mother, Emelia. What are they telling him? They have Freddy's best interests at heart. In his own way, so does Nowak, but not at the expense of D.C. United.
''He knows it is a team sport,'' says Nowak. ''We have spent a lot of time talking to him and making sure he understands the whole system. We always want to utilize Freddy's strengths within the team concept. As long as he understands that he will be successful with us.''
'I LIKE STARTING.' Last week, Freddy seemed to understand. This week, he doesn't, or doesn't want to. ''The truth of the matter is, I just don't care,'' he said last week, echoing comments published in a New Yorker feature story in May. ''I just don't care about anything, I just go out there and do what I do. I said to myself, 'I'm going to go out and play my game.' I hadn't been doing that for the longest time. Now I just want to relax and play my game and help D.C. United out.''
But on Tuesday, Adu complained about not starting in the final regular-season game against Columbus after being name MLS Player of the Week. He hinted he's considering other options besides D.C. United. He blamed Nowak for not showcasing his talents enough to earn him a spot on the 2006 World Cup team.
An Associated Press story rated his chances, before the furor, as those of a long-shot. The hard truth is Freddy isn't even in the holding barn, much less the starting gate.
Adu also said last week, ''I don't like being a sub. That's just me. I like starting the game, getting in the flow of the game, and being out there. I feel better when I start the game and play it all out. There's more time to adjust if there's any mistakes or whatnot. You're able to get into the flow of the game quicker and make things happen as time goes on. If you only play 15 or 20 minutes there's not enough time. That's just not me. I'm definitely not happy when I come off the bench but you know what? I've just got to keep working hard.''
Adu says he wants out. To New York, to Salt Lake City, to play somewhere else next season, it doesn't matter. How will he feel tomorrow, next week, next month? Nobody knows.
But Tuesday he put himself ahead of the team and even for Freddy Adu, that's going too far.