At 26 years of age, the US soccer prodigy should be at his peak. But he’s agreed to play in the NASL, for a chance to team up with his mentor, Thomas Rongen

“He was almost like Ronaldinho. He always had a smile on his face.” That’s how Thomas Rongen remembers a young Freddy Adu. That boy is now a man, and on Tuesday he agreed to join the Tampa Bay Rowdies – who sit first in NASL and are coached by Rongen.

The two first worked together when Rongen was with the United States under-20 team, a role he held during two spells from 2001-05 and then again from 2006-11. It was during that second stint, in 2007, that excitement piqued for his U-20 team as talents including Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley, Robbie Rogers and a young Adu shone.

“He could have played in four consecutive U-20 World Cups, but he played in three and decided to opt out of the fourth – that would have been a record for any player in the world by the way,” Rongen explains.

“I played him when he was young [in 2003] in a 4-3-3 on the left, where he had more time on the ball and he didn’t have to play with his back to goal like in a No 10 [position],” Rongen explains. “Then in 2007 I played him as our playmaker, and I think that was a good transition for him. That way we could hide him from the physicality of the game so he wouldn’t get injured.”

At the time, had you pushed the Dutch tactician to evaluate whom he thought had the most potential of that 2007 roster, he would have said Adu. “I’m flabbergasted that Freddy hasn’t been able to make it to the top level,” Rongen says.

It was not long after he departed Rongen’s squad – off the back of an impressive U-20 World Cup – that he moved to Europe with Portuguese giants Benfica. “I think he chose the wrong club to go to,” Rongen states unequivocally.

“I think in terms of where he was in his development he was not ready for first team football. At 2007 he was 17 or 18 and he was pretty much brought up in the soccer environment in the US, which is so different to the South American or European environment.

“I don’t think he was prepared to sustain the rigorous demands of a pro club where it’s nasty, where players constantly compete for spots, and where, sadly, Americans are still seen as not a great soccer nation. You have to prove yourself every day – and physically it is very tough.”

Rongen also draws comparisons to one of Adu’s teammates when he discusses how best to make the transition to Europe: “If you look at Michael Bradley’s path; a smaller club in Holland, a bigger club in Germany, then Serie A … those to me are wiser decisions,” he explains.

So began Adu’s tour of Europe, adding stamps to his passport and often brief new chapters to his career. Stints at Monaco, Belenenses, Aris and Çaykur Rizespor followed, each move followed by talk of him ‘reigniting his career’.

“Maybe in the places he went they knocked him down so far that they killed Freddie’s game,” Rongen says. “There has to be some understanding there, and the rest of the group has to understand that we’re going to have to work a little bit harder to cover Freddy’s deficiencies defensively, but, man, if we go forward, we’re fucking good. Because this kid can play.”

Many have pointed the finger at Adu for the way his career has unfolded as the saying goes; success has a million fathers ,but failure is an orphan. In Rongen, however, Adu has a sympathetic outlet.

“I think he had a hard time handling [the pressure],” Rongen explains. “For example, we would train, then we would have to wait for half an hour on the bus because Freddy would have to sign autographs and talk to the media. I think he grew tired of that charade.”

Adu has stated publicly that he felt like a marketing tool. That the multi-million dollar contracts were impossible to turn down for a boy living in a poor single parent household in Rockville, Maryland. Rongen cites those around Adu – coaches and managers – as another reason his potential was not fulfilled.

“This country has never produced a player that we [can] sell to Man United, Barcelona, Real Madrid or Man City,” he explains. “I think this country has the capability to do that, and I’m always trying to figure out where we are going wrong. When we have such a raw diamond in Freddy Adu, it’s our role to make him that player. I thought early on he was going to play for a big time team in Europe and put US soccer on the map.

“In Holland, when we scout a player – and there are more tangibles involved – we use a technique called TIPS (technique, insight, personality, speed) . At a young age he had mastered almost everything you want from a high level player [in those categories]. At a young age he had incredible field awareness. He was thinking ahead like a chess player and he easily got into the zone.”

Attempting to explain why the US is yet to sell a player to one of Europe’s elite, Rongen believes that the country’s soccer culture is not conducive to such an outcome. “This country is so structured and too organised [and suffers from] over-coaching. I want to give those players some freedom when they get out of that environment so they can find their own identity.

“Were our sessions structured? Absolutely. We took games seriously for sure, but my approach overall was a bit more relaxed than they had seen before and I think that helped some players like Freddy flourish. I encourage them to dribble, to do a rainbow [flick], to be daring.”

Adu himself has often spoken positively about Rongen and their time together, so unsurprisingly the duo have opted to reunite in Florida, with Rongen believing he could be the right coach for Adu. “I’m not saying I’m the only one, but I think I can resurrect his career, and I mean that sincerely,” he explains. “Freddy knows that too.”

Perhaps a reuniting with Rongen is just what Adu needs. The two will finally reconnect, after almost a decade apart. While some things have changed other have not, with Adu hoping he can find a father for success in his former coach.