Freddy Adu smiles a lot, especially when a soccer ball is near his feet. It’s an infectious smile enhanced by perfect teeth and exuberant eyes. His smile and a talkative, upbeat manner endear Adu to people who meet him.
That charisma may serve Adu as much as his precocious soccer skills in January, when he becomes the youngest player to attend U.S. Soccer’s under-17 residency camp in Bradenton, Fla. Adu, who was born in Ghana and moved to the United States in 1997, turned 12 in June.
A small striker with shocking acceleration, agility and ball control, Adu has already proved to be capable of competing against older kids. Playing two years up, he helped the Potomac Cougars win the U-14 national title this past summer. In 2000, he traveled with the regional team to a tournament in Italy where he led all scorers and was the MVP – for the second straight year.
In October, Adu attended a five-day camp at Bradenton and showed U-17 coach John Ellinger that he could play with the nation’s top 15- and 16-year-olds.
Soon Adu will leave his mother, Emelia, and his suburban Maryland home to train, learn, eat and bunk with kids three or four years his elder.
“That was a decision that had to be strictly up to the family,” Ellinger said. “One thing I like about Freddy and his chances of doing well here is that he gets along so well with older players. He’s so passionate about the game and he thrives on a challenge.”
AVENUE B. Moving to Florida was one of several options for Adu. Inter Milan offered up to $750,000 trying to get him to commit to joining the club at age 18, after completing high school in the United States. His mother declined.
A move to Europe now might provide the optimal soccer experience. Staying in Maryland at The Heights, a private school he attended the past three years, would offer better education, but inferior soccer. An excellent student, Adu skipped seventh grade, so he was a freshman this fall and amassed 25 goals and 12 assists in 16 games on varsity.
Adu’s parents are separated, and many influences outside and within the family lobbied Emelia about Freddy’s next step. In the end, Freddy summed up his choice in a word.
“School. That’s basically it,” Adu says. “Overseas? That I know I’m too young for now. I need more time to develop as a player and as a person right now. … The best thing I thought for me to do was to go down to Florida because if I stayed here, I was going to miss a lot of school. I’m holding myself back if I stay here and it’s hurting my school. If you go down there, everything is arranged perfectly so you can play soccer, do your tournaments and go to school at the same time.”
The Adus see Bradenton as a healthy compromise between Europe and Maryland, but Adu’s high school and club coach, Jim Escobar, isn’t sure.
“Quite frankly, I don’t like it,” says Escobar. “I proposed to the family that he doesn’t have to play high school ball if he stays here. … Are we just talking about soccer, or is the issue the psychological development of the kid? I think he’d do better in an environment where he is growing up at his own pace.”
TOO SOON TO TELL. Freddy wants to represent the United States in the World Cup. He and his mother may be eligible for U.S. citizenship as early as March. Adu also has his sights set on Europe.
“Right now it’s Italy or Spain, but I’m leaning more towards Italy, because they have the best league in the world,” Adu says. “I want to play in the best league in the world. … The first thing I’m going to do if I get a big contract is build my Mom a gigantic house. I want to make her proud so much I can’t even say.”
The offer from Inter Milan has Freddy and many observers presuming a lot about his future. U.S. assistant coach Dave Sarachan, however, believes that predicting any player’s standing five or six years ahead is futile, especially one so young. But Sarachan also believes Adu is exceptional.
“What I have seen at youth levels is that players who are considered good players usually have a physical dimension above their peers,” Sarachan says. “With Freddy, there is a physical dimension that cannot be overlooked, but I think there is also a soccer component for a kid his age, in terms of decision-making, tactical awareness and the ability to make a big play that is there.”
With all the debate around him, Adu is developing a protective shell.
“I used to listen all the time, but now, concerning the sport and my future, I just tune it out,” Adu says. “My P.E. teacher at school gave me the best advice. He said, ‘You know what, just do what you think is best for you and do it with your family.’ That’s it.”
by Soccer America associate editor Will Kuhns