Sorry if it’s bad form to revive this thread, but I just spoke with my friend who has seen Freddy Adu. My friend coached against Freddy about a year ago.
I asked him about his strengths and he said “Speed, quickness, physical strength, and a great touch on the ball.” He also said he has good vision and a good head for the game. He repeated the “possible savior of American soccer” line, and my friend is the type of guy who is quick to point out flaws in a player.
My friend has a friend who is associated with DC United. Apparently Freddy played with the youth team against the regular side and played at the level of the regulars. You can insert comments here about the level of the professional game in the US, but it’s still pretty good for a 13 year old.
To answer the 2nd question -NO! Soccer will never catch on big in US. Period. Not TV friendly. Too much competition. Not enough scoring,etc etc etc.If Pele couldn’t do it no one can. Soccer is like acne, kids grow out of it.