FABULOUS FREDDY Adu's free kicks lift U.S. into Olympics
Freddy Adu has scored four of the U.S.'s six goals in the tournament through Thursday night. Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images
By Michael Lewis
Special to MLSnet.com
Nashville, Tenn. -- After his magnificent two-goal performance boosted the United States into the Beijing Olympics and dashed Canada's hopes in a 3-0 triumph, captain Freddy Adu revealed to the world of his secret on how to take free kicks.
Adu said he spoke with U.S. coach Peter Nowak, assistant coach Lubos Kubik and the rest of the coaching, staff. He said they had "stressed in those kind of situations that you want to hit the ball hard on the goal. If the keeper never touches it, that ball is going into the back of the net."
That strategy worked perfectly as the Americans clinched their first Olympic berth since the 2000 Summer Games and 14th overall.
The U.S. became the 15th country to qualify for the men's soccer tournament, joining Honduras, which survived a penalty-kick shootout with Guatemala in the opening game of the doubleheader, China (host), Australia, South Korea, Japan, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Brazil, Argentina, New Zealand, Netherlands, Serbia, Belgium and Italy.
A 16th team, from Africa, will complete the tournament later this month.
"It's a great, great thing," Adu said. "The Olympics is great. Everybody watches it. I watched it growing up. It's just an honor to represent your country in such a big event. I'm proud to have an opportunity to go and especially to go with this group of guys. It was great. There was a lot of hard work behind it."
Adu said his favorite Olympian was Michael Johnson, an advisor with whom he talks on a regular basis.
Adu's transition with a young teen with a ton of potential to a team leader and a game-breaker has been a rocky one.
Four years ago, Nowak coached a 14-year-old Adu at D.C. United. The two fought at times while Nowak tried to teach the soccer phenom about being a professional player. It wasn't an easy learning process.
Adu showed flashes of brilliance and sometimes he moped and even criticized his coach publicly. He eventually was traded to Real Salt Lake and joined Benfica (Portugal) last season.
During the qualifying tournament, Nowak has seen the fruits of his labor pay off as an older and wiser Adu -- he's 18 now -- has become an impact player.
When asked about Adu's change, Nowak and Freddy both laughed. Then Nowak got serious.
"I think Freddy is starting to realize his potential," he said, "but he's starting to see the things we've talked about the last three or four years.
"We did work together for three years. I did understand from the beginning it was difficult for him to understand the bigger picture.
"He started to believe in his ability to change the game because sometime special players have this kind of ability but there is still hard work behind it.
"This is a good sign for the future."
Canada coach Nick Dasovic realized Adu's free kicks were a thing of beauty. But that doesn't necessarily mean he had to like it.
"I hate it," he said. "He's a clinician at that stuff.
"We talked about keeping our fouls to a minimum around the box. Unfortunately, we did not follow our game plan.
"He's in front of the goal with that much time on the ball. He likes to pick a spot."
Both of Adu's goals were set up by fouls on Red Bulls forward Jozy Altidore in front of 13,201 spectators at LP Field.
After defender Nikolas Ledgerwood fouled Altidore some 24 yards out on the right side, Adu sent a free kick toward the far post. The ball bounced once and Wagenaar managed to barely get his hands on in front of a charging Sacha Kljestan, but he couldn't stop the ball's momentum into the far left corner kick for a 1-0 U.S. lead in the 27th minute.
The Altidore-Adu tandem combined for the U.S.'s second goal three minutes into the second half.
This time Altidore was tripped 23 yards out on the right side by Canadian captain Andrew Hainault. Referee Walter Quesda (Costa Rica) awarded Hainault a yellow card, but Canada would pay even more dearly a minute later.
With six players in a defensive wall, Adu floated his free kick over the players and past a stunned Wagenaar, who hardly moved as the ball found its way into the upper right corner.
"They put enormous pressure on the backline," Nowak said of Adu and Altidore. "That was the key to the success tonight."
Nowak was just as impressed with fact the U.S. never let down its guard as Canada pushed forward after the second goal.
“The most important thing is that we still keep our shape and that we keep our composure and make sure to play our game, and the boys executed it almost perfectly," he said. "I was really proud and pleased to see everything that we had discussed before this kind of tournament come to fruition. I think that from the beginning to the end there was only one team that was going to win this game and it was us.”
Kljestan got into the act with the Americans' third and final goal in the 78th minute. Stuart Holden sent a short pass from the left side to the Chivas USA player and Kljestan penetrated further toward the goal before slotting the ball to the near left post from seven yards.
"We were beaten three-nil by a better team today," Dasovic said. "They were a little more confident than us in the first half. We started playing when we were down three-nil. It's easily to play when you're down."
Dasovic, who will watching the Olympic tournament on TV, is in awe of the U.S. team and program.
"I think they have the best team in CONCACAF, not just at the U-23 level, but the senior level," he said. "I'm a fan of the U.S. I live in Canada. I was raised in Canada. What they have done the past 20 years is remarkable. They're in the Olympics again and they'll probably be in the World Cup. That goes from having that infrastructure.
"Hopefully, one day we can match that. We're a ways away."
Dasovic, whose team did not place any shots on goal, wasn't finished.
"If you use the U.S. as a benchmark, you want to get where the U.S. is right now," he said. "Twenty five years ago you guys weren't even close to us, in all honesty. Now its gone reversed because of the money, infrastructure and the coaching, everything you have in this country. We have a lot to learn from you guys."
