A Tale of Two Adus

The past week has shown us the best and worst of Freddy Adu. From the lows of a defeat at the hands of one of the worst clubs in the MLS, to a pair of goals in the USOC match over the Rochester Rhinos. Now the question one has to ask is, why do the Union play so poorly on Saturday, and so well just a few days later?

Lets examine the Toronto FC game first. Did anyone on the Union play well? No, not really. True some people did play better than others. Michael Farfan is one player who come to mind. Chris Konopka is another. But no one played well enough to win, and for Union, a win is the only thing they need right now. And Adu is a player who needs to step up.

Adu has a hefty price tag. And he has a lot of expectations on his shoulders. I'm willing to give him a pass for last season. Coming to a team in the middle of a season, and needing to get into match shape and learn the offense is no easy thing. But he's here now. He's has an off season to learn what he needs to know. He's had a preseason to get into match shape, and has played most of the Union's matches this season, when he isn't on  international duty.

So I have a real problem when the best we get from Adu is a pair of goals in a USOC match, and 1 good half against the New York Red Bulls before he commits two stupid fouls and gets himself a red. How much longer do we have to wait before Adu lives up to the expectations? Will he ever do it?

The problem is, i can't place all the blame on Adu. Nowak constantly plays new formations, new lineups, and ships off his best players. But Adu needs to be the professional and fight through that. And I want to see the brilliant play we saw against Rochester and in the Olympic qualifiers for more than just 40 minutes for the Union.

The question is, will it ever happen?