Has Freddy Flamed Out?

It's hard to believe that, at 17 years of age, Freddy Adu is in his fourth season in Major League Soccer. This article from USA Today takes up the question of whether Freddy has lived up to the hype and whether he ever will. I think it's too early to write Freddy off as a failure (as one CNBC columnist has) - he's still a legal minor, for crying out loud! I will say this, however, I think Freddy bought into his own hype a bit too much in the beginning and, quite frankly, still seems to be in thrall to it. He talks of making a move to Europe later this year, but hasn't really shown enough in MLS to generate a lot of interest, IMHO. Flashes, yes, but not consistent excellent play. If he lays as big an egg in the U-20 World Cup this summer as he did last time, he'll be lucky to start for Real Salt Lake, much less go across the pond.

Having said all that, for the national team's sake, I hope he lives up to his promise.