Teenage Wind

Freddy is at it again.

As his DC United side is preparing to defend their MLS Cup title with a first-round matchup against Chicago, the teenage prodigy is sounding off about playing time. I seem to recall similar whining last season at about this time, then again in the offseason when Adu was complaining through surrogates about how he should be the focal point of his team which, ironically, only has an "I" in the word "United."

This shouldn't be that remarkable, really. A young player who thinks he's farther along than he really is. Hubris is to be expected, isn't it? But then there's this:

Adu's frustration is compounded by his desire to play in the 2006 World Cup in Germany. With every minute on the bench, Adu sees his chances to impress U.S. coach Bruce Arena slipping away.

"That's definitely killed my chances," Adu said. "Bruce has said it a million times that he's not going to bring anybody in that's not playing regularly for his club team."

Earth to Freddy: Bruce Arena is not taking you to Germany, even if you start every match for DC United. You're not there yet. God forbid you don't get your first taste of a World Cup until you're, gasp, 21 years old.

For the Fire, the biggest upside to this latest spat is that DC will actually take Freddy's side, and coach Peter Nowak will leave, opening up the possibility of his triumphant return to Chicago in the event Dave Sarachan doesn't return in 2006. Even if the team supports coach over player, which is what the initial reports show, it's a possibility that has the most diehard Fire fans salivating after a thoroughly mediocre season.