CHESTER, Pa. – In his ideal world, Philadelphia Union midfielder Freddy Adu would have played in last weekend’s game against the Red Bulls and then followed that up by suiting up for the MLS All-Stars in his home stadium at PPL Park on Wednesday.
But the 23-year-old didn’t play in either – which left him champing at the bit to get back out on the field for the Union’s next game, a Sunday showdown against the New England Revolution at PPL Park (7 pm ET, NBCSN).
Adu is expected to play against the Revs after missing Philly’s 2-0 loss to the Red Bulls because of an “team matter.”
“I can’t wait,” Adu told MLSsoccer.com following Philly’s training session Thursday. “It was difficult for me watching the team lose against New York. But I have to try to forget about that and get myself ready for Sunday. I’m ready to go. I have no injuries, no problems and hopefully I can help the team out.”
Adu certainly seems to have put whatever happened in the past. He joined some teammates to watch Wednesday’s MLS All-Star Game with fans, which he called a “pretty cool” experience. The game also served as motivation for the former MLS All-Star, who would love to return to the game in his second stint in the league.
And as for the “team matter” that prevented him from playing in last weekend’s game?
“I think it was a little bit of a misunderstanding and I just have to move on from that,” Adu said. “I’m ready to go. I’m good with my coaches and teammates, so all is good.”
Because he didn’t travel to Red Bull Arena and the club didn’t disclose what the specific team matter was, speculation ran wild that Adu could be out the door, with one particular trade rumor, sending Adu to Dallas for Brek Shea, gaining steam on Twitter.
Both Union interim manager John Hackworth and Adu laughed off the rumor.
“I wasn’t paying attention but then I was told by a friend of mine,” Adu said. “I was just laughing because people don’t know why I wasn’t with the team in New York and they started speculating.
“I get along with my coaches and teammates,” he added. “There’s no problem here at all. This is where I want to be, for sure.”
Dave Zeitlin covers the Union for MLSsoccer.com. E-mail him at djzeitlin@gmail.com.
