Adu: ‘I want to be in the starting lineup’

Now that his heavily hyped debut is history, Freddy Adu is ready for something more: playing time.

“I want to be in the starting lineup come this weekend’s game playing the whole game,” the D.C. United forward said yesterday. “I’m ready for that. I know I’m ready for that. It’s just up to the coach to make the decision he feels is right for the team.”

The 14-year-old from Potomac served as U.S. soccer’s highest-paid and most-celebrated reserve on Saturday in his first match with United. Adu drew a World Cup-sized media contingent, a national television audience and a large crowd at RFK Stadium for his debut.

However, the much-anticipated match proved anticlimactic for Adu watchers: He played only 33 minutes, including injury time, and first came onto the field as a second-half substitute.

That is a situation Adu wants to change.

“I want to be out there starting and playing every game,” Adu said. “I would not be happy if I only play 20 or 30 minutes every game.”

The decision by United coach Peter Nowak not to start Adu wasn’t a crowd-pleaser, but it paid off. Both goals in the club’s 2-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes came from forwards — Jaime Moreno and Alecko Eskandarian — Nowak played before Adu.

Nowak has said all along that Adu, the cornerstone of the league’s marketing strategy this season, must earn the right to start.

“He needs more experience and he needs playing and the minutes,” Nowak said. “It’s up to him right now how he’s going to do in practice, what kind of mentality is going to show up. It’s about him being developed the right way, getting his spot when he deserves to be on the field.”

Adu also was disappointed that he didn’t get more touches.

“No, not really,” Adu replied when asked if he thought he got the ball enough. “Hopefully, as time goes on, the guys will find me more because there were certain times when I felt like I was open. And even when we showed the tape, yes, I was open.

“As of right now, I have to work my way to a point where the guys will trust me and give me the ball when we’re in some jams.”

Nowak said Adu might start on Saturday when United faces the Los Angeles Galaxy (1-0) at the Home Depot Center because midfielder Dema Kovalenko must sit. Kovalenko received a red card against the Earthquakes.

Nowak could move Bobby Convey into the middle and place Adu in Convey’s left-flank midfield position. Coach Thomas Rongen used Adu and Convey in that fashion with the U.S. Under-20 team at the World Youth Championships in December.

“Yes, absolutely,” said Nowak on whether Adu is in the mix to start Saturday. “It doesn’t really matter where [Convey] is going to play. The most important thing for us is that we know what to do in this scheme regarding zones.”

However, given the Galaxy’s wealth of attacking players — striker Carlos Ruiz, polished Austrian midfielder Andreas Herzog and forward Jovan Kirovski — Nowak might be inclined to start a primarily defensive player to replace Kovalenko. In that case, Adu likely would not start.

“He was very nervous [on Saturday],” Nowak said of Adu. “You can say whatever you want, but he was not ready on this day to play from the start. I feel very strong about my decision. Eskie and Jaime proved to us that it was the right decision.”

With Eskandarian and Moreno playing well, it might be some time before Adu can crack United’s starting forward line.

“All is ask for is the chance to do it,” Adu said. “Even if I don’t like his decision, I have to respect it because he’s looking out for the best interest of the team.”