Going Greek

The trials of Eddie Johnson and Freddy Adu sometimes read like a Greek tragedy. Precocious young talents derailed by bad decisions, poor management and middling form. Sophocles would be all over these two. Currently stranded well outside of the US Men’s player pool, the pair are miles away from being in the conversation for a World Cup slot and only a few months to impress Nats Coach Bob Bradley.

So they’ve gone to the cradle of democracy, Greece, and club side Aris Thessaloniki, to find answers. Both came on as subs last weekend and teamed up for a goal in a 2-1 loss to something called Skoda Xanthi.

Both players, of course, were once thought to be the future of the National Team. EJ made a huge splash in qualifying for the ’06 World Cup, scoring seven goals in six games, before injury and a severe dip in form derailed his playing time in Germany. Since, he’s gone from MLS to Fulham, which loaned him to Cardiff, and now onto Greece. Adu, the former prodigy and Nike marketing darling, joined him a week later, after a troubled loan spell at Beleneseses (which followed a year-long loan at Monaco, where Adu played sparingly) and the pair are hoping to re-start their dwindling chances to make the roster in South Africa.

The odds are against them, but maybe a trip to the Oracle at Delphi can give the players a clearer picture.