US Men's Soccer Olympic Update...

I was out of town Sunday morning when the US kicked off their all important Olympic match against Holland. Why do I say 'all important'? Going into the match the US was the only team in the group with three points. Nigeria and Holland had one point based on their draw while Japan had none. Furthermore, this is The Netherlands....the best of the best when it comes to youth national teams. As I clicked on the DVR sunday afternoon I was thinking, "if the US can get a point in this game, they have a chance of qualifying for the next round."

If they can get a point, did you hear me? They almost waltzed out of there with all three points! After the first half I thought to myself, "ok, not too bad. Down one goal. They can tie it up." Freddy Adu was looking more dangerous then he did in the opening match. The Dutch weren't dominating and in fact the US held some decent possession. Meanwhile, the field conditions weren't helping anyone.

As I fast forwarded to the second half I was hoping to see some magic, and I did. In case you missed it, Sacha Kljestan scored one of the nicest goals I've seen from a young Yank. If you catch the highlights, watch where the play starts for Kljestan. Somewhere near midfield if my mind serves. He combines well with Stuart Holden and then again with Freddy Adu when all of a sudden he gets a perfect return pass from Adu and is through to the 18 yard box beating two Dutch defenders. Just when you think the orange shirts will strip the ball from him, Sacha makes a great move and puts a beautiful shot past the helpless Dutch keeper, Kenneth Vermeer.

"Wow!" I'm thinking. That was something not often seen from the Red, White & Blue...that was more on par with the Dutch themselves. At this point it is the 65th minute and I'm on the edge of my couch despite being tired from a weekend camping trip.

The second half saw an improvement from the young Americans and it seemed the Dutch, one of the pre-tournament favorites based on their two recent European U-21 championships, were losing ground and didn't know what to do with the Americans. Within eight minutes I was off the couch as Jozy Altidore put home a Michael Orozco cross for the go ahead goal. Never in my wildest dreams did I think the US would be beating the Dutch 2-1. As the second half dragged on the US kept putting on pressure, forcing the Dutch keeper into some fine saves. By the end of the match the US had put eight shots on goal compared to Holland's four. The US outclassed The Netherlands!

The win wasn't to be as an ugly foul and free kick let the Dutch back into the match, in the 92nd minute....what a truly heart wrenching moment, seeing the ball skip past Brad Guzan on a free kick that went under the wall. The Dutch got lucky and came back to tie it. Had they lost, they would have been embarased beyond belief and facing almost certain elimination from the Olympics as the Americans moved into the Quarterfinals. However, games end when the whistle goes and aren't won on paper. Take pride American soccer fans. The U-23 team fought hard and well in this game, up against one of the top countries in the footballing world. This also shows what the senior national team will grow to expect once these youngsters mature to the full team...and I can't wait.

Freddy Adu To Benfica...a Done Deal...

Freddy Adu has left MLS. According to the Salt Lake City Tribune, one of the biggest foregone conclusions of the 2007 MLS season has come true. Before the US U-20 World Cup started, I said that Freddy needed a big performance to renew European interest and his sometimes stunning play in Canada did exactly that. While losing to Austria in the quarterfinals was a disappointment to all American soccer fans, his play showed great promise. In Canada he showed all of the hype was justified.

Freddy Adu entered MLS in 2004 as the league's golden boy. He was 14, skipping most of high school and all of college. His route to professional American soccer was certainly pioneering, however I don't know if any other young Americans will be taken on the same ride in the future. Freddy Adu proved you can be too young for MLS. While there were some step overs, great runs to goal and tremendous free kicks, Freddy never captured the hearts and minds of American sports fans. MLS pitched the 14 year old Wonderkid to America as the league's savior, and when thousands of fans packed MLS stadias around the country and didn't see Pele on the field, they felt disappointed. The Freddy effect was felt by each team in MLS once, it gave all us soccer junkies a nice feeling and then vanished. After Freddy came to Denver I spent the remainder of the season explaining that a 14 year old wouldn't dominate in any soccer league and that we needed to give Freddy time.

Now at 18 years of age, Freddy will get that time. Freddy is transferring to Benfica, a storied Portuguese football club known for developing exciting attacking talents. In Lisbon Freddy will train with players of similar talent, something he didn't get here in the US. Benfica has produced standout players Eusébio (who played soccer in New England I believe and it widely considered Portugal's best ever player), Rui Costa, João Vieira Pinto and Simão Sabrosa among many others. Additionally Benfica is one of Portugal's "Big Three" football clubs, meaning he'll get regular exposure to European football in either the Champions League or UEFA Cup. In those tournaments he'll get to face Inter Milan, Manchester United, Chelsea, Celtic, Barcelona, etc. He will see the best on a regular basis. MLS didn't give him that.

I agree with Ives Galarcep, this move is the best for everyone. MLS gets a reported $2 million fee to invest in other players who can have more of an impact today. Freddy goes to a great club that will help guide his talent, so long as he takes their lessons well. He'll be able to be seen by the rest of Europe. US Soccer knows that their golden boy will be taken care of and given back in better condition then MLS coaches could have prepared him. It is a win, win.

Good luck to you Freddy. I will enjoy reading more about Portuguese football and wearing a Benfica jersey with your name on the back. Knock their socks off over there and earn a starting spot in the lineup, for that is the only way you'll get to Manchester United or Chelsea.