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Johnson, Adu shine in Aris play-off win

Freddy Adu 4 (Reuters)

By FRANCO PANIZO

Greek club Aris Salonika is a step closer to playing in next season's Champions League, and the club can thank Freddy Adu and Eddie Johnson for that.

Johnson netted both of Aris' goals in its 2-0 play-off win against Olympiakos on Wednesday, heading home an Adu cross before capitalizing on a defensive mistake in the 90th minute. Along with delivering an assist as he was slipping, Adu also drew a penalty kick that was not converted by teammate Koke. Johnson went the distance while Adu was subbed out in the 89th.

The win was the perfect way to start the four-team round robin for Aris, which began in fourth place due to a weighing system based on the regular season standings. Aris next faces PAOK on May 2.

Here are the highlight's from Aris' 2-0 win:

What do you think of Johnson and Adu's performances? Impressed? Do you see them getting called into the pre-World Cup camp?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Ok…so now list all the coaches that have been successful in Europe that have the “international Pedigree” I bet there is a substantial amount over those that dont have it. With any situation there are exceptions to the rule junior.

    Look, I give credit to Bradley. He has done a great job. The US qualified first in our region. Are you satisfied?

    If you have not done something before, who would be the best person to learn under?
    Someone who has done what it is your exactly trying to do right? What can Bradley instill in our team over an experienced international coach? Seriously…think about it. Bradley has been consistently out-coached and is out of his league.

    Your complacency and inability to view things objectively compromises your credibility.

    Stop drinking the kool-aid and open your eyes.

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  2. “There is nothing wrong with that if your fraternity was filled with coaches that posses some sort of international pedigree”

    Well you saw how far that got Mexico. And Ericksson has one hell of an international pedigree. The truth is, there are a lot more bad and mediocre coaches out there than there are good ones. Look at Domenech and Maradona. A lot of them have the characteristics you list as desirable.

    “In my honest opinion…all our wins have come on the wings of our players sheer athleticism, determination and talent. Bradley has very little to do with that”

    This is sheer poppycock and you know it. Any successful sports team is a combination of coaches and players that cannot be reasonably separated. You can debate the percentages endlessly but never realy come to a reasonable conclusion. You just don’t want to give any credit whatsoever to Bradley; this undermines your credibility.

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  3. That is the first good game I have seen Adu play in quite sometime. I think it’s his defensive work rate that is lacking. It’s impossible to tell how well he held up his defensive responbilities from a highlight clip. I am glad he is playing well. I am not convinced, at all, that he has earned a call up.

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  4. At the end of the day, the coach will put in the player that best reflects the coach’s on field tactics. Unfortunately for players like Torres, Benny, adu…they will be playing a very limited role (if any)during Bradley’s tenure. Their only hope of actually making any impact is playing under a coach that has some creativity and vision with respect to on field formations and tactics because we certainly have some technical players on our side. No, they are not top notch euro mf’s however, they can definitely incorporate a stronger central possession game as opposed to the one-dimensional and ever-predictable defend and counter.

    With regards to a different coach, I am not certain we will have much of a big upgrade in that department taking into consideration that the USSF is run like a fraternity. There is nothing wrong with that if your fraternity was filled with coaches that posses some sort of international pedigree. The cold hard truth is that we employ domestic coaches that have absolutely nothing on their resume other than collegiate accolades. They are all great coaches, DOMESTICALLY. On the International stage…they are constantly out coached. Give me a coach who has played in big euro games, Give me a coach that knows what the weight of a franchise feels like during bad times. I prefer a coach that has tasted success in any league in Europe. Give me a coach that has gone through terrible times with a team facing relegations with a limited budget and has to find time for everyone of his prima donnas to play in addition to saving his own neck. Because outside of steve nicol, I dont see any other domestic candidate that would not uphold the status quo. In my honest opinion…all our wins have come on the wings of our players sheer athleticism, determination and talent. Bradley has very little to do with that.

    I long for the day that our coach places his stamp on the game from the sidelines when our players can’t figure it out on the pitch.

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  5. with the pool of players we have I’m still trying to figure out why adu and ej shouldnt be called. First of all for all the talk about regular play time and them being on the bench….well, if they are being disqualified because of that, then there goes Davis, Onyewu, Clark and Holden (that never seem to get that negative highlight). Secondly, even though I like Buddle’s style of play, him playing and understanding Donovan and him scoring goals, he is scoring against MLS TEAMS, not defenders from England, Germany or Brazil. BB already made that mistake once with Findley, Curringham and Casey, our top goal scorers in MLS, but couldnt even make it happen against CONCACAF teams. Couldnt shine playing against Honduras, Mexico etc!!!! We are ranked 14th in the world….and we need to play like it. Then the lack of experience and knowledge of the game thats being tagged on Adu…again that eliminates Clark, holden, Buddle and a whole bunch of other players. For Adu anytime he tries and falls short…he’s cashing in on experience and from all the teams he’s trained with I believe he has a good amount of it. Has it ever occured to anyone that EJ excels anytime Adu is in???? Thats because they look out for one another and involve each other. You have a couple of strikes against you being a Yank and playing in europe and a couple more if you were once labelled the next best US soccer player!!! With that being said I say put they all in one pot…drill them, train them and try them out….and may the “BEST PLAYER WIN”. In other words bring your “A” game or go Home!!!!

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  6. Come on ADU I want to see you on the world cup creating chances, opening spaces, keeping the ball and having everyone else trying to engage you while providing a cross to three open strikers (Donovan, Dempsey, Herculez). You have abilities to read the game so use it. To me you have great skills. Lets keep focus and healthy. GO USA USA USA USA

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  7. Good since of awareness on Eddie Johnson. To me you are better than Altidore. How ever Bob(the.. what are you trying to accomplish)Bradley continues to use him, because there isnt anything else.
    However, like Altidore you are inconsistent. Choices… choices.
    I would rather see Herculez come on board. He has played with the US and Scored against Argentina, why he hasnt called him afterwards…. dont know?
    It will be stupid to think that he doenst like Hispanics that actually speack Spanish in his team right.

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  8. This is great! I sure hope that Freddy and EJ can get it going. The more Americans that are playing well the better. I doubt either of these guys will make it to this WC, but I love seeing them do well. Both of them are young and have a chance to be good. Let’s hope this is a stepping stone for both of them.

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  9. I like them both but since neither of them has shown anything for the NT I’m not bringing them. I’d rather bring a relatively unknown like Bedyoa who has shown some good stuff with the games he played than the we get 1 good game out of 5 from these 2.

    But for Adu…his biggest obstacle is he needs to play and play regularly. I think if he does this he will be a major player for the 2014 and 2018 WC. I’ve noticed he is looking more muscular and stronger??? Adu will be ok…he just needs more time than others.

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  10. I agree with others here regarding Charlie Davies. Yes, he really shined last year for the MNT. However, he had multiple, serious injuries last fall, hasn’t played a minute of competitive soccer since, and we’re counting on him to start up top and score against some of the best defenders in the world??? Get serious folks. Davies is young, and he’ll have his day with the MNT. For this WC, we need to bring game ready, fit athletes, which up top includes the following options:

    Gomez

    Altidore

    Johnson

    Ching

    Casey

    Adu

    Buddle

    Out of this group, my two to start would be Gomez and Altidore, with Johnson and Ching as back-ups. Though Adu has been in better form of late, I just don’t see him getting a shot from Bradley. I think he’s in Bradley’s doghouse, and will have to prove himself more at the club level before being a regular with the MNT. As well, as I said earlier, I’m hesitant about Buddle because I don’t think he’s proven himself at the international level, and though he’s scoring goals, I’m not sure it’s against the best defenders.

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  11. Adu has one decent gasme and it’s the seconf commingg of Christ…..ADU still sucks, the stats he’s accumulated over his carrer speak for him.

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  12. It certainly was, but he finished cooly and that’s no given. I remember a similar play that E.J. was gifted at Fulham in his few minutes earlier this year where he screwed the pooch. Baby steps…

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  13. “false prodigy”??? C’mon man!!! Actually, the rest of your post is pretty spot on. Adu doesn’t need to worry himself with where outsiders think he should be with his game at this point. He just needs to worry about doing well for his current club, and building a solid relationship with a well respected coach who seems to be giving him an opportunity, which I imagine he’s earned through hard work. I really hope things continue to look up for him.

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  14. “As for the game… Eddie was average and Adu was bad for the first 20 mins and the moment that Daly got up and started warming up Adu turned things around full circle… the manager confirmed this in his presser after the match… it bothers me that in a game this big it took Adu seeing his replacement begin warm ups before the light flicked on in his head…”

    And that’s exactly why Adu is such risk. Way too high maintenance and not enough return for your investment. You are right though and Adu should thank God he has Cuper for a coach.

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  15. The funny thing is… if you ever watch these games live… they cut to a hot chick like every 5 mins… during the game yesterday there were several… she just happened to be the most stunning… there were tons of hotties though.

    As for the game… Eddie was average and Adu was bad for the first 20 mins and the moment that Daly got up and started warming up Adu turned things around full circle… the manager confirmed this in his presser after the match… it bothers me that in a game this big it took Adu seeing his replacement begin warm ups before the light flicked on in his head…

    That all being said… People can talk about Freddy being slight… he has actually bulked up a bit and can tackle now as well.. Cuper has been a godsend for him.

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  16. I completely agree with this Adu deserves a call because….
    1)HE BRINGS A NEW DIMENSION TO THE NATS GAME, DONOVANS PACE MAY NOT ALWAYS BE EFFECT
    2)LETS NOT LIE TO OURSELVES IF SOMEONE LIKE DONOVAN GOES DOWN HURT ADU IS PROBABLY HIS ONLY SOLID REPLACEMENT(VERSATILITY)
    3)ITS THE FREAKIN WORLD CUP WE CANT GO IN WITH ONE STYLE OF PLAY (KICK AND RUN) OTHER TEAMS WILL CATCH ON AND SIMPLY PUT QUICKER PLAYERS ON THE FIELD TO COUNTER US EXAMPLE BRAZIL IN THE CONFEDERATIONS CUP FINAL

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  17. I can see it now…

    —————-

    May 12, 2010

    Beta Male said…

    Where you at k.j. choi, a couple weeks ago you said PPPPSSSSYYYCCCCHHH

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  18. as for callups….

    yes on the GAM. if only EJ scored as well as he celebrated. did he earn a card for that last one?

    no on Freddy.

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  19. Oh, do your homework Tampa.

    But no Braden, not an overabundance of wisdom there. If it takes time for these two to prove doubters wrong, then it proves the doubters right whose doubt was based on the players not being ready. And if Buddle and Gomez have yet to prove themselves, well that sounds like the exact same boat to me.

    So no, these guys don’t suck anywhere near as much as football wiseguys suck, but they aren’t some crazy cut above good MLS players either.

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  20. Ives,

    Idea for a killer interview.

    Someone just has to corner Hector Cuper and ask him about EJ and Adu.

    If someone could jsut get him to be real candid about them, that would be a real eye opener for US fans even if it happens after the World Cup.

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  21. “I’ve always said we need ADU on our roster, his the only one with true technical skills, coming in as a sub behind the Jozy in the 80th minute would be fun to watch in the W.C.”

    The US is not good enough to be able to afford the luxury of having a guy like Adu who has no other ability other than to occasionally have a few minutes of brilliance in the attacking end. And he’s not a striker, he’s a creator. So if no goals result, you’ve just wasted a valuable roster spot.

    If Adu was Brazilian, they have the strength in depth to be able to afford a luxury player like that. Of course, if he was Brazilian, he’s not good enough to make the National team.

    So we should take him because he’s the best we got? I say no because it won’t be Bornstein or Spector that Adu will have to beat. His act isn’t good enough to get past the Brazilians or other big time defenders.

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  22. The BB you’ve seen the last 4 years has been doing everything just to prepare for this World Cup. So I think you can count on things being a little different this time, if only because he is basically building a new team out of the ashes of the Confederations Cup team. Everything counts now.

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  23. The key word is “potential”. It means he hasn’t done enough yet so that you can trust him. And if you put him on at the 80th minute and ther is no offensive explosion resulting in a goal for the US, well that’s a valuable roster spot down the toilet because Freddy doesn’t do anything else. I don’t see him giving top class defenders much trouble. Too weak.

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  24. What little I’ve seen of Buddle tells me he is competing more for the “Jozy” slot, than the “Charlie” slot.

    Boy wouldn’t that be something if he beats out Jozy in camp.

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  25. “when his confidence is right adu can do the play or make the pass no one on the usmnt can do”

    That’s the problem. If if you are 100% correct, when he’s not right he does not do anything else.

    And even when he is right, I don’t see Freddy giving an in-form Maicon, Alves or someone like that too much trouble. The US is better off finding another way to score.

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  26. Public,

    True, but whether it’s in person, on paper or on TV, it still betrays fischy’s high level of arrogance, and a lack of knowledge about how to manage teams and players properly. I’m pretty sure Cuper has a better handle on it than he does.

    Crap is crap wherever you find it.

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  27. yea, i mean when it comes down to it, they are just supposed to score. i don’t care if a striker loses the ball 75% of the time and never passes to his teammates in a game and has a “below average game”, if he scores two goals, he can do whatever he wants

    Reply

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