Freddy Adu Joins Philadelphia Union, Won’t Be Designated Player

Ruiz was very much a forward, and one who was particularly focused on putting the ball in the back of the net. Adu is is a player whose best attributes are his ability to break down a defense and set up teammates.

The Brotherly Game, SB Nation’s Union blog, recognizes this and outlines the various ways that Peter Nowak may choose to deploy his newest weapon:

The first big question is whether or not Adu is a Designated Player. Fox Soccer’s Ives Galarcep first reported the news and was unclear about his DP status. Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl shortly followed up with a news that Adu was a DP.

As a midseason signing, making Adu a DP does make some sense since he would only count about $167,000 against the salary cap. Considering some of the money used to acquire Adu was surely paid to Benefica to buy out his contract, DP status would make some logical sense.

According to the SBI report, Chivas were negotiating with Adu but upper management nixed the move. If Adu is returning on a non-DP contract, he will likely have to go through the Allocation Order system, in which Chivas sits first and Philadelphia sits second.

The Union will reportedly announce the signing on Friday, at which point we should learn the details about his acquisition, if a transfer fee will be paid and whether or not Adu had to go through the Allocation Order.

Since signing with Portugal’s Benefica, he’s spent most of his time out on loan. He has appeared in 11 matches with Benefica, while playing for four other clubs around Europe, most recently with Rizespor of the Turkish second division.

More recently, Adu has breathed some life back into his career after some strong performances in the Gold Cup. The time could be ripe for the 22-year-old midfielder to return to the league that gave him his start. Chivas is in need of a creative player like Adu, and a signing like that could be a real shot in the arm.