FanHouse FreddyAdu

Aside from the fact that they're both a) human beings, b) American international soccer players of African descent and c) from the greater Washington, D.C. area, there aren't too many similarities between Freddy Adu and Oguchi Onyewu, saying nothing of the pair's nearly one-foot height and seven-year age discrepancy.

Adu, as we all recall, entered MLS in 2004 with fanfare worthy of a Michael Bay special effects blockbuster and was supposed to set the league afire with his amazing skill and footwork -- all at 14 years of age. Since his arrival the pint-sized midfielder has played for two MLS clubs, made a much ballyhooed transfer to Portuguese giants Benfica and now at 20 years old finds himself loaned out for the second time in three years.

Meanwhile the same year Adu attempted to burst onto the MLS scene, Onyewu quietly moved from French club Metz to Belgian power Standard Liege, where he blossomed into a hulking central defender with a pair of Jupiler League crowns under his belt. Most American fans probably didn't even know of the alliterative defender's existence until his famous stare-down of Mexican forward Jared Borgetti in the U.S.'s 2-0 win over El Tri in Columbus, Ohio, which booked a place in the 2006 World Cup.

For what seems like the entire summer, Freddy Adu's Twitter account has been buzzing with transfer speculation. The one-time U.S. wunderkind had fallen out of favor at Portuguese super club Benfica and Adu openly pined for a move to Dutch team Eredivisie in July after he returned to Portugal to train after two games with the U.S. National Team during the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Anyway, score one for traditional journalists as the Washington Post's Steven Goff beat Adu to the punch, announcing his loan to Belenenses about 45 minutes before the 20-year-old American midfielder could break the news to his followers.

Almost two years ago to this day, one-time U.S. teenage sensation Freddy Adu swapped his Real Salt Lake colors for a high-profile transfer to Portuguese giants Benfica. In the summer of 2007, the move seemed like a perfect spot for the much ballyhooed midfielder, who made his MLS debut with much media fanfare at 14 years old for D.C. United.

Little did most observers at the time realize this marriage was probably doomed from the start. Monday it appears its only a formality before divorce papers are filed, with Goal.com reporting that Adu was told by Benfica coach Jorge Jesus he isn't needed at the club. In response, Adu says he wants to make a move to a club in the Dutch Eredivisie.

SEATTLE (AP) -- Playing without its top stars, there was some concern that the United States would struggle to generate offense during the heading CONCACAF Gold Cup. That doesn't look like a problem anymore.

The Americans, fresh off a stunning runner-up finish at the FIFA Confederations Cup, thoroughly dominated Grenada, 4-0 on Saturday night, as they began their quest for a third straight Gold Cup title.

When the U.S. Soccer Federation announced the roster for the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup in the midst of the U.S.'s surprising run to the Confederations Cup final, the general consensus was that the lineup was thoroughly a "B" team. After all, the supposed "A" team had done enough work in upsetting then-FIFA No. 1 Spain, and giving newly minted top dog Brazil a run for its money, before losing 3-2 last week.

On Wednesday, CONCACAF said it would allow the U.S. to add seven players to the already 23-man roster for the Gold Cup due to playing in back-to-back competitions barely separated by a week and, more importantly, over 10,000 miles. Thursday the USSF announced those seven players -- all members of the Confederations Cup roster -- upgrading the roster to a solid "B+."

The work, apparently, is never over for the U.S. National Team. Fresh off takings its bows after a stunning 2-0 upset over No. 1-ranked Spain at the Confederations Cup Wednesday, the U.S. was back to work Thursday.

In this case, it was naming a 23-man roster for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which begins on July 4 in Seattle with a match against Grenada. Of note, only six players on the Gold Cup roster have over 10 caps. On top of that, just Michael Parkhurst and Brian Ching were on the 2007 competition roster, which the U.S. won, punching their ticket to the 2009 Confederations Cup in the process.

Two weeks ago, rumors emerged that Ligue 1 club AS Monaco were pursuing emerging American soccer stars Freddy Adu and Michael Bradley.

Half that rumor came to fruition yesterday. Portuguese club Benfica has sent the 19-year-old Adu to Monaco on a one-year loan deal with the possibility of a permanent move at the end of the season -- unless Adu has a career year in the French league, which would cause Benfica to pull him back and sell him to the highest bidder next summer. Still, it's a great move for Freddy, who is expected to get plenty of playing time in Monaco's midfield after he returns from the Olympics in Beijing, and right now, playing time is what he needs the most.

Monaco, a club whose French-American president is also on the U.S. Soccer Foundation Board of Directors, is continuing to pursue Bradley, though Middlesbrough and Bayer Leverkusen remain in the picture. At last report, however, Monaco was offering Heereveen a $13.6 million transfer fee for Bradley, which would be a record for an American player. Spanish runner-up Villareal paid MLS $10 million for Jozy Altidore last month.

(H/T: Soccer By Ives)

Two years after retiring from international soccer, Brian McBride will wear the USA jersey one last time.

McBride was one of the three over-23 players named on the U.S. men's Olympic soccer team, which was announced today by U.S. Soccer. The former Fulham striker will join future Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan and New England Revolution defender Michael Parkhurst on the team.

There are few surprises among the under-23 players on the roster. McBride joins Jozy Altidore, Robbie Rogers and Charlie Davies up front. Freddy Adu and Michael Bradley headline the midfield, which also includes MLS standouts Maurice Edu, Stuart Holden and Sasha Kljestan, along with Benny Feilhaber (Derby County) and Danny Szetela (Brescia).

Parkhurst leads a back line that includes Michael Orozco (San Luis) and three MLS starters -- Patrick Ianni, Nathan Sturgis and Marvell Wynne. Chris Seitz will back up Guzan in goal.

McBride hinted last April that he would be willing to join the U.S. Olympic team. His presence would allow Peter Nowak to play a 4-4-2 with McBride and Altidore up front, rather than the 4-2-3-1 that barely managed a goal in Olympic qualifying. The U.S. side still faces an uphill battle in Group B against the Netherlands, Nigeria and Japan, but it's hard to argue the talent isn't there.

If you're a fan of the U.S. men's national team, you might be paying a lot more attention to French soccer next season. SoccerAmerica is reporting that Ligue 1 club AS Monaco is preparing to make bids for Freddy Adu and Michael Bradley, two up-and-coming American stars currently playing in Europe.

Bradley scored 15 goals last season with Dutch club Heerenveen and had been linked to Premier League clubs Everton, Blackburn and Middlesbrough and German clubs Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen. Adu, meanwhile, moved to Benfica last July and has struggled to get playing time after a mid-season managerial change.

This is worth noting for two reasons. One, AS Monaco's president is Jerome de Bontin, a French American who is also on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Soccer Foundation. Two, Monaco is perhaps most famous for developing French national team stars like Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet, Emmanuel Petit, Lillian Thuram and Patrice Evra. Perhaps Monsieur de Bontin is hoping some time in Monaco will help Adu and Bradley get as good as those guys.

If these transfers go through, that would put three U.S. national team starters in France. Carlos Bocanegra has already signed with Rennes, who finished 6th in Ligue 1 last season.

(H/T: The Offside)

Folks, it is time to stop calling Freddy Adu "Not Ready Freddy." That was true four years ago, but judging from his play today in Spain, Adu is definitely ready.

For 45 minutes, while the Spanish played slowdown football worthy of a Simpsons episode, Adu provided the only real spark in the U.S. national team's attack. He put himself in the right spaces, he found creative ways to push the ball forward, and he got the ball to teammates in good spots. Only a well-timed foot stomp by Barcelona defender Howard Stern Carles Puyol kept Adu from playing more than a half.

Without Adu in the lineup, the USA played a lot more defense, and Spain finally wore them down in the 79th minute, as Xavi Hernandez, another Barcelona player, juked past a tired defense and scored the lone goal of the match.