The future stars of the U.S. men’s national team continue to win admirers in Europe. Last week Freddy Adu caught the eye of Juventus manager Claudio Ranieri in a friendly played last week between AS Monaco and Juve. The tinkerman was impressed by Adu, who can play as a withdrawn forward or, when necessary, on the flank, thanks to his dribbling and quickness. Against Juventus, the American starlet created the penalty that led to ASM’s only goal of the game, which Monaco won in penalties.
Sometimes we forget that Adu is only 19 and is only learning to be a professional. South Africa 2010 might be too early for him, but the 2014 World Cup could be Freddy Adu’s coming of age party.
The other up and coming US star is Jozy Altidore who is joined Villarreal for over £7 million in the summer. Altidore has not played much for Villarreal, but that did not stop Everton from recently putting in a bid for the U.S. star. Altidore has seen limited playing time for Villarreal, earning a pair of starts just before the winter break only to return to the bench, but he told Soccer By Ives last month that he was happy in Spain and enjoying his time with Villarreal.
Altidore and Adu have only played a peripheral role in the U.S’s World Cup campaign so far, but I expect them both to play a bigger role for the national team the closer we get to South Africa.