04/18/24
August 01, 2007
We bid you a fond Adu.: MLS brokers a transfer of Freddy Adu to Portuguese club Benfica worth $2 Mill. with a percentage on any future transfers in the backend.
Good for Freddy. He should have gone to Europe years ago. Benfica is a good spot, too. He will get to play early sans the crushing pressure at bigger clubs. Eddie Johnson need to follow suit. 6 million and a first team spot in the Premiership is about as good as it is gonna get for him.
posted by r8rh8r27 at 04:55 PM on August 01, 2007
Adu was not eligible under FIFA rules to join a foreign team until he turned 18, which he did in June. Now if MLS just sells off about 28 more homegrown players they can pay for Beckham.
posted by urall cloolis at 07:48 AM on August 02, 2007
Adu could've gone to a European academy when he was 14.
posted by blarp at 09:51 AM on August 02, 2007
About to say the same thing as blarp. He had offers from Milan and ManU years ago to sign as a youth player and work his way up from the training school. I was gonna say playing Benfica guarantees him Champs League exposure this season. But Benfica finished 3rd last season. Mebbe he shoulda joined Porto.
posted by worldcup2002 at 01:05 PM on August 02, 2007
Benfica are in the draw for the Champions League third qualifying round at 11.00 BST in Nyon, Switzerland, this morning, along with Liverpool, Arsenal, Celtic, Rangers and a host of other teams. Live text coverage on the BBC website if anyone's vaguely interested.
posted by squealy at 03:31 AM on August 03, 2007
Adu got a pretty good amount of first team playing time plus better exposure to the USMNT coaches and US fans by playing in MLS and that wouldn't have happened in the youth systems at Milan or Manchester, so IMO he made the right choice. However, now is the right time for moving over as he can sign as a professional and probably get minutes. Johnson, at 23, should have gone to Derby or Rangers/Celtic and if he doesn't sign in January or next summer then the (relatively speaking) big money window will probably close. Jonathan Bornstein, Hercule Gomez, Sacha Kljestan, Ricardo Clark, Eddie Gaven, Kenny Cooper, Michael Parkhurst, Marvell Wynne, Jozy Altidore, Nathan Sturgis, Danny Szetela and Tim Ward should all be on the phone with their agents asking why they're still playing with US clubs. Regardless of the financials or what the moves would do to MLS each of them should be playing for a second or third tier European team or better.
posted by billsaysthis at 01:49 PM on August 04, 2007
Jozy Altidore is still 17 (he turns 18 in November). However, unlike Adu he hasn't been a full-time starter. He had great exposure with the U-20s though. I think he plays another year before going to Europe. As for Szetela, he also gained some exposure during the U-20 tournament. Apparently some teams have expressed interest while the Crew and MLS have expressed none in keeping him.
posted by goddam at 07:29 PM on August 04, 2007
In FIFA rules, players can sign pre-contract agreements months ahead of the day they're otherwise eligible. See Beckham/LA Galaxy, for example, so Altidore could have made a deal this summer to take effect in the January window. If Bradley plays him on the senior squad between now and January, which he's earned, then he ought to attract some flattering offers then.
posted by billsaysthis at 08:43 PM on August 04, 2007
i wasn't aware that a pre-contract could also apply to someone under 18. anyway, Szetela has reached an agreement with Roma.
posted by goddam at 10:01 AM on August 07, 2007
goddam, ya beat me to posting that news ;) Very nice to see one of our youngsters go to a top Italian side, haven't been to many in Serie A to date.
posted by billsaysthis at 01:20 PM on August 07, 2007
Adu, Adu, to you, and you, and you.