Freddy Adu Says European Soccer Is Competitive, Implies MLS Isn’t

You ever make that phone call to friends back home while you’re backpacking through Europe, dispelling fantastic stories about how amazing traveling is, how you’re learning to be a man (women are probably to busy warding off men to have time to do this), and how tough, but wonderful things are? Of course you have because you’re arrogant pricks like us. Former MLS star Freddy Adu has been livin’ it up in Portugal this season with Benfica FC and he’s finding out what it’s like to actually play in a competitive league.

“The first thing about being in Europe is that you would not survive at a place like this unless you pay attention to every single detail and work hard every day,” Adu said last week in a telephone interview from Lisbon. “It is a very competitive environment, and everyone is a good player. No one’s place is guaranteed. You have to come to work every day, and that’s what makes you a better player — constant competition.”

Unlike in the MLS where practice is optional and only 1/10th of the league is admirable. Continue good sir.

“I’ve had to grow up out of necessity. I live here by myself. In America, it was like I was in a bubble — everything was there for me. Now it’s just about being a man.”

Riveting stuff, but we’re not convinced some maid wasn’t cleaning out his laundry during this interview. No pampering involved at all? Please. Portugal produced Cristiano Ronaldo, remember?

U.S. Team on Adu’s Mind, Even in Portugal [NYTimes]
Image [AP]