ADU SETTLING IN AT BENFICA Thursday, August 30, 2007
It's been a whirlwind of a month for Freddy Adu since he signed with Portuguese giant Benfica, but the American phenom seems to finally be settling into his new European digs.
Though the former D.C. United middleman hasn't seen the field in three matches, the latest a 1-0 Champions League win over FC Copenhagen on Wednesday night, Adu is trying to take it all in stride.
"Obviously you want to play, but what are you gonna do?" Adu told YA after Wednesday night's third-round qualifying match in Copenhagen. "All you can do is train harder."
The only match Adu did see playing time in was Benfica's first leg win over FC Copenhagen, a match that Adu likely won't soon forget. Adu entered in the 36th minute just after a Copenhagen equalizer and played the remainder of the match, nearly assisting on a would-be game-winner by teammate Oscar Cardozo.
"Yeah, I went in without warming up. I was excited. I got a little ovation from the crowd," Adu said. "I was definitely happy to get it out of the way."
"The first one's always the toughest but I was able to make a few key plays."
If there is any dissonance between Adu and his new coach Jose Antonio Camacho - who is newer to Benfica than Adu is after replacing recently axed Fernando Santos – Adu isn't letting on.
"It's a little different [with Camacho] but we're still focused and we know what our objectives are. Now we just have to turn our attention to Sunday," the once-capped American said.
If the 18-year old sounds like an old pro, it's because he is. Adu played his first professional match at the age of 14 in the MLS and now, four years later, he's finally discovering the contours of soccer on a continent that approaches the game with a much stronger lens.
"It's a bit different. Everything's more professional; more day-in day-out," Adu said of his brief time spent in Europe. "It's been great though. I've been training a lot better.
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