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Adu touches on potential Bahia move with Brazilian media

Freddy Adu (11)

Photo by ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

Freddy Adu may not yet officially be a player of Brazilian club Bahia, but that did not stop him from talking about the potential move and how good a fit he thinks it could be for him when he arrived to the South American country on Thursday.

Adu turned up in Salvador, Brazil ahead of his meeting with Bahia’s team officials and tour of the club. The 23-year-old midfielder was able to talk briefly to Brazilian media about the impending transfer from the Philadelphia Union that will see him and Brazilian midfielder Kleberson swap teams, saying the Brazilian Serie A was an ideal location for him to land in.

“The way I play, I never thought of myself as playing as a quote unquote an American style,” Adu told Brazilian media. “I always based my game on the Brazilian style because I love that. I love being able to express yourself and here you’re allowed to express yourself, you’re allowed to play, you’re allowed to enjoy football so this, I think would fit my style really well.”

Adu was also adamant in expressing that the deal was not yet done. The well-traveled midfielder admitted that he would like the move to be finalized so he could get back to playing soccer, but also said he was taking a tour of the club and becoming familiar with the facilities and staff to ensure that Bahia was the right fit for him.

“It has to be the right situation,” said Adu. “For me personally, I’ve been in teams where I’ve been used in different positions that I’m not used to. This has to be the right situation for me and for Bahia and I just wanted to get a feel for the place before anything gets done.

“It’s important for me, because I’ve never done that before, signing with other teams. This is the first time I’m actually visiting to get a feel for the place, to check out the team, to meet the staff, so this was important for me to do.”

Adu even shared with reporters which Brazilian players he enjoyed watching as a kid – Ronaldo and Ronaldinho were among them – as well as some of his recently-gained knowledge about the club that might soon be his new home.

“I know Bahia is two-time Brazilian champions and I know the fans,” said Adu. “I did my research. I’m pretty familiar with the team. Now I’m here to check out the city, meet the staff, meet the team and hopefully everything goes well and we’re able to get something done as soon as possible.”

Comments

  1. Does anyone divide American fans more than Freddy? Fans either thing he is a spoiled, lazy, who is allergic to tracking back or talent wasted by a league that has no interest in skillful players.

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  2. He’s too small and not strong enough to play #10. Too many players around the #10 to be push him off the ball. His best spot is withdrawn forward. He needs to isolate players one on one, cause danger in the box and draw penalty kicks.

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  3. Sigh, maybe one day…

    —————————Altidore
    —————————–Adu
    Dempsey————————————Donovan
    —————–Jones————Bradley
    Johnson—–Gonzo——Cameron—–Chandler

    ——————–Howard or Guzan

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  4. Much is made of Adu’s career in Europe — so many teams and so on. Folks have been quick to conclude that something must be wrong if Adu went out on loan so often. Nonetheless if you check you will find that lending young players is standard practice for big European clubs. As we speak Benfica has 17 players out on loan, nearly all of them young players with several years left on their contracts. Sound familiar ? Not to be out done AC Milan has, count them, 36 players out on loan. Not all of them are youngsters but most are. Europe is literally awash with young players with resumes not unlike Adu’s. Should we conclude that they are all character deficient as well?

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  5. I’m a Freddy fan and I really hope this works out for him. I’ve seen no evidence that he’s a bad guy. He’s just a kid who got too much attention too fast, and who thus didn’t develop some key soccer and interpersonal skills.
    That aside, I’m worried that the Bahia thing is a bad move. He’s an amazing dribbler and passer by American standards, but he’s certainly not Neymar…or Ronaldinho, or Kaka, or [insert Brazilian name here]. People talk about Brazil being a great fit for him, but I wonder if his technical ability is going to be better than the literally thousands of Brazilian players who spent every second of their childhoods dribbling a soccer ball, ball of clay, rock, tin can, ball of string, wad of paper, etc…. He’s not the quickest or the strongest, so if his technical ability doesn’t stand out in Brazil, what are we left with? What we might find is that Freddy is not so much of a standout in the one area that’s always made him stand out.
    I hope I’m wrong and that he really is the dribbling wunderkind he once appeared to be. He is the most entertaining American player when he’s on, and it’s not even close… I would just once love to see a USMNT lineup someday that has all of our most technical players on the field at the same time, just to see what would happen: Freddy, Jose Torres, Bradley, Benny, Joe Corona, etc.

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  6. Seriously Philly will get 35 year old Kleberson? what kind of “trade” is this? Its a joke and this leagues credibility wont grow until teams quit signing old worn out players, it seems like a necessity to include an old wash up in each team nowadays…

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    • Union has talented youngsters. There is no doubt they will benefit from playing with a world cup winner like Kleberson. I think this looks like a very good move for all concerned.

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  7. “It’s important for me, because I’ve never done that before, signing with other teams. This is the first time I’m actually visiting to get a feel for the place, to check out the team, to meet the staff, so this was important for me to do.”

    To me this statement was the most eye opening thing said. The fact he has never met with team/staff/etc…before moving/transfering to a club sheds a lot of light on his past situations.
    Hopefully has has finally learned his lesson and will have a chance to develop into a consistent player. He has skill….but the knock against him has always been his attitude and/or work ethic.

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  8. I don’t think the choice of Brazil is coincidental. If you wanted to play your way back into the USMNT picture, it wouldn’t hurt to go to a place with a style of play that suits you and that also just happens to be the site of the next World Cup. He has a big mountain to climb to even get back on the radar screen, but it never hurts to have someone who is already in the area and knows the playing surfaces, environment, etc. Of course, you would prefer a player in top form in a top league, but if his other major choice was South Korea, this could tip the balance in favor of Brazil’s Serie A.

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      • Hey, if Obama was born in Ghana, then I would be a true birther, but I am not. Regarding Freddie, Ghana is so rife with fraud that I think their constitution is a forgery. Freddy’s diminutive stature made it easy for him to fool people during his adolesence but the “hype to performance” disconnect is just too great and the circumstantial support of his age is less than convincing. You really have to be of the birther mentality to actually believe Freddy is his recognized age.

      • I see this every so often, but he has played in numerous youth world cups. This means he has had to fool FIFA officials on many different occasions. I find it difficult to believe he could have carried out a deception like this for about 8 years ( age 14 for the U-16 to the U-23).

    • initially Freddy said his favorites Brazilian players growing up were Pele and Garrincha, but corrected himself quickly and the reporters edited that part out….

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  9. A mature statement by Adu. His style does fit Brazil and hopefully they can help refine his abilities. Adu isn’t going to become the winger or two-way midfielder people want him to become. So let’s hope, in the home of attacking midfielders, he’s able to develop into a player that’s impossible to ignore.

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    • With his great touch and passing ability I don’t really think we can blame his career on every other team his been on. He’s played in a ton of places. My God he’s played in PORTUGAL. He’s played all over the globe. Stop the excuses. He’s immensely talented in some ways but I’m starting to think he just doesn’t have the mental fortitude and focus to become a great player. Some players don’t have it physically, some mentally. He has no more excuses to me.

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      • He actually played quite well in Portugal. The problem was that they churned through way too many managers in a short period of time. He was a young player and managers brought in other players and stuck with other more experienced players to try and keep their jobs.

      • He is a Gemini. Therefore nuts, split personality, dual nature, also incredibly psychic and prescient when he focuses, madly creative, and never alone, and neither is he.
        Split personality – just like Demarcus Beasley. Demarcus finally grew up and learned to tell the shit scared little boy inside of him, the whiney kid that says, “I don’ wanna, I can’t, they’re ganging up on me and you’re not being nice to me, whine, whine whine…” to STFU and sit down and watch Demarcus, THE MAN, play UEFA Champions League style football, WC football, Mexican first division, flowing, creative football. One day Freddy Adu will decide to tell the whiney little prima donna, fragile Prince of this World inside him, to sit down, and shut up and watch how a MAN, a lord of the sphere, a box to box, untiring trooper plays USMNT creative, modern, total football.
        This is dual Gemini nature, this is at the heart and soul of his problems fitting in with other teams. He gets to wrapped up in himself, and over thinks the situation, gets way too grandiose and self-important and forgets to play with his heart and soul, for the greater good of the team he is on.

    • +1
      We have our Fingers crossed man…….his dribbling ability, ball control and flare that is looked down on and considered selfish/show boating here in the US is welcomed with open arms in Brazil.
      Jimmy Conrad hosted Jozy Altidore on his show and during some RAPID FIRE questions Jimmy asked him “who is the BEST PLAYER you have EVER played with?” …..Altidore said “Honestly, talent wise FREDDY ADU…….WOW.
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1TYU6ANXXg (move to 5:02)
      Coming from one of our most talented Strikers, a regular on the USMNT, in the mist of Dempsey, Donovan, Bradley, Howard…..didn’t call any of his current teammates, says a lot about Adu……very impressive

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      • Wow… that’s a pretty incredible statement by Altidore.

        I think there likely IS an element missing w/ Freddy that probably has much to do w/ his misguided development. A part of his growth was stunted. He never had the chance to be an integrated cohesive part within a group in a locker room or within a team. Under any circumstances, a 16 year old is going to have a very difficult time fitting in with full grown professional men. You have nothing in common and are sorely lacking the maturity and tools to do so. A 16 year old, no matter how talented should NEVER be put into the position of being viewed as the savior of a team, let alone a league, let alone the entire sport for an entire nation. We humans need to “belong” and that is one of the amazing things about being a true member of a T E A M… fighting through hardship and becoming successful with a group of brothers. Dude has always been an outsider. Freddy has been shamefully exploited, but the only way to dig out of it is to put that in the past, take 100% ownership and responsibility for his own life, career and play on the field. For his sake alone, I hope he does that and can maximize his remarkable talent into being a remarkable teammate and player.

      • Freddy Adu has been shamwfully exploited…that may be the case but to whom much is given much is expected. He has been paid millions by the “exploiters” and shown that 7 years later he still cant fit into a team. In another Jimmy Conrad podcast he said that during a Jan. Camp all of the 30players at the camp had to take a running test and that Adu was by far the worst behind the defenders and keepers. He was like 21 at the time he should have been able to run all day. People, he got the money too early and now he lacks the drive to become all he can. See Albert Haynesworth

      • By your reply I take it you didn’t truly understand what whoop was trying to say…..secondly I didn’t find anything about Jimmy Conrad’s comments about Adu’s fitness a YEAR and 3 months ago. He was talking about his improper development in response to our top US forward complementing Adu for being the most talented player he’s ever played with (MAY 13 2013)…….
        http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2011-05-23/sports/35232332_1_situations-at-different-levels-count-in-different-situations-rizespor (a little of Bob Bradley on Adu, )……

      • Yup… what’s good for our bank account is often vastly different from what’s best for our development as a player and/or human being.

      • Mr. whoop,

        Try 14 years old.

        Someday Brian Strauss should investigate Freddy’s “people”, manager or whoever it is that lets him sign with teams before researching them first. He won’t be the first athlete who was let down by his “handlers”.

      • Yeah, figured 16 was a good conservative age to use… in addition to being a good preemptive defense vs, birth-certificaterererers. Honestly, I can’t imagine myself at that age being put into that position.

      • Call me old fashioned but I would like to see some evidence for these assertions about Adu. How do you know that he’s not capable of working with a team and all the rest?

      • I hear you Sebastian,
        Hey, I don’t pretend to know…. merely doing what 90% of forums do… for the sake of discussion, am speculating based on rumors, innuendo, my personal experience, sprinkled with some basic facts we do know about the history. I didn’t state it as a fact, but an opinion starting my statement with: “I there think likely…”

        I never stated he wasn’t capable of working with a team. I’m certain he is capable. It has been a problem commonly assertion in the past. I was merely pointing out my view that he has a history of being put in a difficult position where this was made extra difficult to do, particularly at a crucial time when these skills need to be developed.

        I wish him luck and see no reason he can’t succeed. Ultimately, it will be up to Freddy… hopefully with the assistance of an environment that compliments his strengths and weaknesses.

        Cheers.

  10. Ah, it is the style, or the club, or the situation that explains it.

    I’m rooting for Freddy, but personal responsibility still seems to elude him.

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    • I would tend to agree. He has taken responsibility in the press before, but since this keeps happening to him at every single stop, you have to think the Freddy is mostly paying lip service. Let’s hope some lessons have sunk in, though.

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    • He is a little Prince. Without his mom to clean up after him, to cook for him, launder, press and fold his undies – he is helpless. (That’s often how he plays soccer too.)

      I do though, pray mightily that the kind of midfield attacking play he manifested in the 2007 U-20s World Cup gets all growed up and kic-a** and holds the world’s attention at a major tournament, for the full USMNT – Stars and Stripes forever.

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  11. American style is hoof it forward. We also teach our forwards that the most important part of play is when their backs are to the other team’s goal! doh!

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  12. ““The way I play, I never thought of myself as playing as a quote unquote an American style, Adu said.”

    What exactly is the “American style”?

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    • 4-4-2, through yourself in front of the ball, kick it as far away from goal as possible, run after it, kick it at the goal. Repeat as necessary.

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      • Also add: instead of soccer cleats , lace on bricks, watch ball after every clutzy, pre-meditated, easily intercepted pass you make, DO NOT, repeat DO NOT run to open space and anticipate a give-and-go or make decoy runs, or support your teammate by providing an open passing lane – ball watch and over-commit to the opponent when they settle the ball, fixate on their ass, chase them, continue to chase the ball madly and tire yourself out so that the opponent can then deftly string together 3-4 passes and penetrate your area, dig ball out of net, look disgusted, prepare to do all of what Chazcar 2 said, three dozen times more, before actually stringing more than two passes together in your opponents end, repeat ad infinitum, ad naseum = American style

    • He just wants to play as a #10 with no defensive reponsbilities. It’s not so much an “American” thing as a soccer thing in general. In modern tactics, unless you are Ronaldo, Messi, or Robben, you are expected to contribute to team defense.

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      • Pretty much this. Freddy wants to be a #10 around which the team builds its offense (the role he excelled with the US youth teams), but at the pro-level, you have to provide more than this unless you’re truly a world-class player.

      • It’s not “unless your’e truly a world-class player” now pretty much everyone has defensive responsibilities. Certainly Messi, Xavi, and Iniesta play defense. So does Wayne Rooney. The Robbens of the world are a very small minority, and quickly disappearing.

      • Have you never actually watched Messi play? He contributes MORE than his fair share on defense. Heck, sometimes he’s running around on defense as if he’s a fullback…

      • I think the larger issue with Adu isn’t the lack of defense. There have been all number of fine #10’s (in MLS…like Christian Gomez and Valderama, and internationally like Juan Roman Romalque) who didn’t play defense and weren’t great athletically. But they always showed for the ball, they were always available, they were a factor throughout the match. Adu drifts in and out of the match. He disappears in many matches for 10-20 minutes at a time…stops moving, makes poor decisions off the ball, reads the game poorly so puts himself in positions where he isn’t going to see the ball. It’s not about ocnditioning. But it means that suddenly your #10 is a out of the match, a non-factor. If your #10 can play defense or win balls, than maybe you can live with that. But if he’s there to be a vulcrum for the attack, you can’t have him disappear for chunks of the match.

      • Very accurate comment.

        I’d like to see him assert himself, but I’m not sure his overall soccer intelligence is up to the job. If you watch the last Gold Cup, he did play defense, but it was more than I’ve ever seen him work. He needs to do more of that

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