On Friday Freddy Adu tweeted the following, “Have made a decision to start fresh after a year away from soccer. This decision is solely based on the fact that I want to play as much as possible this year then move forward from there. Have discovered my love for the sport again 🙏🏿. News soon!” That was followed earlier today by Steven Goff tweeting that he would go on trial with a USL team. Could it be Nashville and would that make sense? Why not, what is the downside? If he looks washed up and doesn’t make the team no biggie. Perhaps he makes the roster, but doesn’t do anything. Again, no big deal. USL contracts are very inexpensive so Nashville SC would have to pay him very little. The possible benefits seem much greater. He immediately would be by far the most recognizable and marketable name on the squad. Heck, even my mom has heard of Freddy Adu. Back in 2004, Adu became the youngest player to ever sign a professional contract in the United States. That same year he became the youngest player to ever play and score in MLS. If you were paying attention back then it was hard to miss how hard MLS was trying to make Adu the face of the league. But after scoring 11 goals in 87 appearances for DC United Adu’s career never got on track. He went on to play for numerous clubs including Benfica, Monaco, Philadelphia Union and most recently Tampa Bay Rowdies. Over this period of time he made 17 appearances for the USMNT scoring two goals. His resume is far and away better than anyone else on the Nashville SC roster. He hasn’t played in over a year so who knows where his level is right now, but again what is the risk? While his best playing days seem long ago, Adu is still just 28 years old. Freddy has played in Nashville before. In 2012 he was captain of the USMNT U-23 squad. That team didn’t qualify as goal in the 95th minute pulled El Salvador to a 3-3 tie and knocked the U.S. team out of the Olympics. It was a heartbreaking loss for the team and those in the stands (there weren’t a lot of us). The USMNT failing to qualify for major tournaments isn’t unique and you have to impressed that they chose Adu as captain. When I speculated about Nashville SC signing Adu, it was immediately met with enthusiasm from at least a couple of fans. Maybe I’m just too nostalgic, but over the years I’ve seen Adu make a number of plays and passes that just took my breath away. This move splitting two Brazilian defenders from the corner flag to setup a Jozy Altidore goal is perhaps my favorite. You can see it starting at the 7:00 mark in the video below. He was one of the better players at that tournament. Yes, it was a long time ago, but there really doesn’t seem much downside with this move. What do you think? Would you like Nashville SC to sign Freddy Adu?

