Freddy Adu

Went to the new Hope Depot Soccer Field last night to watch Freddy Adu and DC United take on the LA Galaxy. About the kid, he played the whole second half, had some good touches on the ball, got a shot off, got pushed around quite a bit. He couldn't get up much for headers, but had great ball control and looked to be somewhat living up to the hype. There was a funny moment when he got the ball and it seemed like the whole place froze, including the members of both teams who just sat still and waited to see what he would do. It was bizarre. My favorite play, however, was after he got the ball taken away from him roughly by the best player on Galaxy, a#10 named Herzog, he went after him and totally gave a hard cracking tackle. Both guys went down, and it looked to me like Adu hurt himself a little on the play. I mean, Herzog is twice as big as him, but it showed that he'll hit back no matter what - which bodes well for the young man.

DC looked like a pretty good team, whereas the Galaxy for most of the game looked totally sloppy. It wasn't until the end that the game got exciting, both teams trading a bunch of opportunities in the final 8 minutes. DC scored first on a cross that got deflected back to the middle of the box and this other young guy, Cerritos, was in perfect position and hit a one touch into the goal. Then, in the 83rd minute, a Galaxy forward scored a nice shot on a loose ball in the box. The rest of the game was exciting, a bunch of missed opportunities by both teams, including a free header by the Galaxy and a shot by Adu.

And on a final note, the Home Depot Center is awesome. A soccer stadium built in the style of stadiums around the world. I like how MLS is adapting itself internationally, instead of trying to mimic other American sport models. Home Depot reminded me of the stadium on Jeju Island in Korea built specifically for the World Cup 2002.