Freddy Adu goes to Real Salt Lake

For those of you that aren't familiar with Freddy Adu, this is similar to LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, or Kobe Bryant (take your pick) going to the Utah Jazz. It's a HUGE deal. This article was taken from KUTV's Web site. David James is the author. If this doesn't put Real Salt Lake on par with the Utah Jazz and BYU Football as far as sports in Utah go, nothing will. Did I mention this is BIG news?
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Real Salt Lake acquired teenage phenom Freddy Adu from D.C. United, and quickly, the e-mail started flowing in

DJ,

Since you're the only person that publicly claims to follow soccer, I was curious about your thoughts on if the RSL trade for Freddy is going to become a short stint? If he can opt out and leave to go to the Premier Leagues in Europe, is this just a move by RSL to sell tickets for a few months until he's 18 and gone, or can they lock him down for awhile? Or even if he's here for a season does this mean he gets RSL to the playoffs and then is outta here? In short is Freddy just another Urban?

Billy

Well Billy, in short, RSL should be so lucky.

I don’t understand the constant criticism of Urban and his short tenure. College football is a big business. Urban had outs in his contract to go to Michigan and Ohio State, so it was no secret he had his eye on a bigger stage. He was a climber. Of course you only climb if you win big and Urban led the Utes to their first perfect season since 1930. Urban went 22-2, won a pair of league titles, the Utes’ first outright titles in 46 years, and headed for Florida.

Why can’t a guy with two great seasons leave for a higher paying job? Coaches who have two lousy seasons get fired. Walt Harris was just whacked at Stanford after two years and Ty Willingham was history after, what were by Notre Dame standards, a couple of sub-par years.

Urban’s mistake was dropping the “I want to go to Florida because I can recruit locally and I’ll have time to teach my son to throw a curve ball”. Weak. He left for more money and a chance to win the national title. Just say it.

Was this an Urban blog or a soccer blog?

If Freddy Adu can come in, win a championship, pack the stadium, increase season tickets and turn the spotlight on a team that takes a back seat to the Jazz and BYU football, in short, if he can pull an Urban, then more power to him and this is the best move RSL ever made.

Like Urban, Freddy Adu’s goals are clear. He is a climber. He wants to play in Europe. England. Chelsea. Like Urban he wants to go all the way to the top. Fine, but if you can’t dominate in Major League Soccer, how are you going to get your boots on the pitch in the Barkley’s Premiereship? (Loosely translated into American: shoes on the field in the top English league)

Interestingly, RSL missed the playoffs because of their defense. RSL scored 45 goals, tied for the third best total in MLS. RSL gave up 49 goals, tied with Colorado for the worst total in MLS. This team needs to improve defensively, not offensively. They just gave up Jay Nolly, a two-time NCAA Champion at Indiana, and a guy who was described as the goalkeeper of the future last summer, but a guy who also gave up goals in bunches. I know, the best offense is a good defense. The offense that controls the ball doesn’t have to play defense as much... blah, blah, blah.

There is also a chance RSL will simply win more 3-2 games instead of losing 1-0 games. It is hard to know whether goals or wins will put more fannies in the seats. Maybe the answer is neither. Maybe celebrities, like a 17 year-old who has been a household name for a quarter of his young life, are the best bet to sell tickets.

Notes: RSL just a cut deal with Xango for jersey logo rights. Did RSL know this move was coming? Is there an escalator clause in the contract, because Adu is going to make that jersey logo much more valuable. Maybe Xango just got a steal.

Nice timing with the stadium. Grab a star just as you open your books for the county. Those projections, who knows if they are accurate? You just traded for a one of a kind player. No one really knows what kid of impact he will have on tickets and sponsors, or how long he will be here.