Adu Part Deux

Normally, I try to respond to things in the comments are of this blog. And normally, I hate revisiting a topic. But there's enough now to say a bit more.

First, blog reaction has been swift and fairly diverse:

• Maradawga thinks that Freddy has been ill-served under Nowak, and perhaps a change of scenery is in order.
• We Call It Soccer delivers an analysis on familiar points. The take-away from this article for me is that Piotr Nowak's stubbornness is a great strength for DCU, and potentially in situations like this a weakness.
• Bruce's Belly offers a fascinating comparison between Adu and Etch, not in terms of talent but in terms of temperament.
• Pseudo Corner Kick admits the timing was off, but thinks Freddy is probably right.
• Record As I Am falls on the other side of the fence, feeling that Freddy has been inconsistent this year (no argument here) and wonders where he might go.
• US Soccer Players: "Nowak is worth more to United than Adu is currently..."

Comments have also poured in from yesterday. As I said, normally I'd respond in that area, but there's some interesting stuff going on there:

• There's division among Metros fans as to whether they'd want him or not. Personally, I think all this talk about Freddy going to the Metros is premature. Now, if I were of a true conspiracy mind, I'd speculate that Freddy's story and the rumors of Nowak leaving for Chicago are linked, and that Nowak goes to Chicago and a new coach comes with order to PLAY FREDDY. Then I would take off my tin-foil beanie and lie down for a bit, and remember that I've actually kissed someone once.
• Jason Anderson argues that Freddy's important to MLS is overhyped. He's got a point there. I think the issue though isn't so much Freddy's important to MLS, but to US Soccer. US Soccer wants this kid to be an impact player by 2010 for the USMNT, and MLS was a means to an end.
• The Belly drops over to take issue with my comments regarding Nowak. I agree that Piotr is most often starting the correct players. My complaint is that Piotr is very intimidating, especially for a 16 year old. For godsakes, Piotr Nowak intimidates me, and I'm a grown-ass-man (who still plays video games). That means that it is Piotr's responsibility to see how Freddy feels and to talk him through it, rather than let him stew in isolation. I imagine Piotr might view that as "coddling" a player, something that would cause his upper lip to twist into a Snidley Whiplash sneer. Which is why it didn't happen.

Now, also, a few hours out, I think there's a little more that's come out that makes me a bit less sympathetic to Freddy. It looks a little more like a calculated comment and less like a slip in front of the friendly beat reporter now. Freddy's mom's comments in The Post also sound like that this may have been rehearsed before hand, that they planned for this to happen. I hope that's not true, but I'm afraid it might be. Still, it's really not that far along. We're about two days from the Chicago first leg, and that's a long time in politics and media. This all may blow-over, when Freddy and Piotr and Kevin issue a joint statement. In fact, even if it hasn't really blown over, I'd expect that such a statement would come anyway. If only just to postpone any final decisions until after November.