According to a report by Goal.com’s Ives Galarcep, Freddy Adu will return to play in the United States for the first time since leaving the Philadelphia Union three years ago as he is set to join North American Soccer League club Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Adu has played for three clubs in Brazil, Serbia, and Finland since leaving the Union but has not stuck with any of them for more than six months.
He also had failed trials with Dutch club AZ Alkmaar and English side Blackpool. Most recently, he left Finnish side KuPS just days ago to “pursue other opportunities.”
The 26-year-old reportedly had offers from multiple NASL teams before choosing to land with Tampa Bay. Rowdies coach Thomas Rongen was Adu’s coach at the 2007 U-20 World Cup.
Adu joins Tampa Bay just one week into the NASL fall season, and the team is strong after finishing second to the New York Cosmos in the spring half.
The NASL has slowly grown the last few years, and it’s that slow growth that may provide Adu with the environment he is searching for. Can he finally secure a more permanent place in a club side for the first time in years?