Should be Replaced by Eddie Gaven
Freddy or Eddie as Teenage Soccer Sensation
Granted there is a 2.5 year age difference between the two (if you accept the validity of Adu's Ghanan-verified birthdate), but I don't understand why Freddy Adu gets dubbed teenage superstar and receives the lionshare of attention of the entire MLS, while Eddie Gaven, who is performing superbly for the NJ MetroStars (who are leading DC United by 3 points at the top of the Eastern Conference) and today earned his first cap on the USMNT is left hardly noticed by the media or fans.
Adu rarely even starts for his club DC United, while Gaven is a regular starter for the Metrostars with over 1300 playing minutes (Adu has under 700 minutes). Gaven already has four goals and five assists (two of which were game winners) to date, while Adu has a respectable but hardly impressive two goals and one assist. That puts Gaven in the top ten of all MLS point scorers.
Gaven is also the youngest player ever to have been selected to start an All-Star game, in which he will represent the East on July 31st at RFK Stadium against the Western Conference.
But for me, his appearance tonight on the U.S. Men's National Team is the most impressive feat yet. He subbed in at the 82nd minute, making him the 4th youngest player ever to get a cap for the USMNT, and they quickly leveled the score with a headball by Bocanegra.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not a Freddy-hater. But Adu has yet to impress me at the MLS level, or even at the U-20 National level. It is simply to early to tell whether he will suceed or not. He was great at the U-17 level, and I imagine he will start to stand out on the U-20 team as he plays more matched with them. I of course have the greatest hopes for him, and hope he will be eventually be present on USMNT. But it is Gaven who you should be looking out for in Germany in 2006. And it is Eddie, not Freddy that should be a household name in U.S. soccer.
