Unwilling to alter contract, Adu dismissed from Union

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WAYNE, Pa. -- The Union gave Freddy Adu an ultimatum.

Renegotiate your contract, abide by certain team rules and stay with the Union for a third season, or start looking for a new home. And as the Union began training camp on Monday at YSC Sports without Adu, the players choice was clear.

We presented Freddy with a couple scenarios, where we felt comfortable with bringing him back under certain conditions, Union coach John Hackworth said. Freddy came back and said he would stick with his current situation. He made it very clear. He knew that if he made that choice, he would not be coming back as part of this team.

Basically, what we did was say was 'If youre ready to renegotiate and come back under some different guidelines, well be happy to talk. If you dont want to do that, we want you to clearly understand you wont be back with us next year.' He knew that. Freddy and I have had enough conversations, communication was very clear between he and I and his representatives.

Adus dismissal from the club does not come as a surprise, as the 23-year-old midfielder never fully conformed to the Union under Hackworth, who took over for Peter Nowak in June of 2012. There is some surprise that the decision to move on without him wasnt completely financial. Adu made nearly 500,000 for his lackluster performace last season.

When it comes to the contractual part, it was financial, Hackworth said. But a lot of it had to do with the role Freddy would play within our team. Especially, when you compare him and his stature in our locker room relative to the guys who were in there.

He has talent, there is no question about that. But how he puts that all together is up to Freddy. For us, it didnt amount to what we expected, not for what we want for this team going forward and not for the philosophy that this team was founded on.

Although its unclear what exactly Adu did to sour the Union, money and performance certainly played a part in his demise. One of the biggest and most intriguing names in American soccer, Adu, since he was 14, has carried with him huge expectations -- a great realization of his immense talent. But his skill, and more importantly his paycheck, have never seemed to match his on-field production.

Freddy is a very talented young man and Ive said it many times. I dont think people have an appreciation for Freddy like I do, as far as what he can do on the field and what he is capable of, Hackworth said. But he certainly didnt meet the lofty expectations placed on him with our team. And that was ultimately what it came down to.

Since joining the club in Aug. 2011, Adu managed seven goals in 35 games. However, in the 34-game 2012 campaign, Adu was an unused sub in 10 of the 24 games in which he was on the roster. When asked if the signing was an error from the beginning, Hackworth said it wasnt his choice to make at the time, but that Adus contract length and value handcuffed the team.

Being honest, he is on a long-term contract that makes it hard in this league with salary cap restrictions, to do some things, to have a player like that who doesnt fit into your plans, he said.

He was given plenty opportunities to play and play a significant role for us and be the player we expected him to be when we signed him. That didnt happen. You can look at numbers, stats. It didnt happen for us as a team or for Freddy. It didnt work.

But with regards to an official transfer, where does Adu go from here?

Were trying to make sure we find a solution thats good for the Philadelphia Union and Freddy, said Hackworth. We want him to go on and have a very successful career -- hes only 23. He has a lot of front of him. At the same time, it has to be something that works for us, as well.

Weve been working on this for a long time and we will continue. Right now, the international window is open and its a continuing process. From our side and Freddys side, were working on it.

With his dismissal from the Union, Adu is moving to his ninth different professional club since 2004, making him a tough sell. Hackworth, however, seemed to have the sales pitch down.

There are lots of teams around the world who are interested, said the coach. He certainly has a name that has a lot of value and coaches look at the types of things he is able to do as a player.

E-mail Ryan Bright at RyanBright13@comcastsportsnet.com

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