Is this the week Adu walks away from MLS?

The rumors are everywhere, Freddy Adu is about to sign with Benfica in Portugal if the club can agree to terms with MLS. Could it be that Adu has played his final MLS match and is ready to try his luck in Europe?

The timing of this move would be good for Adu and not that bad for the league. Freddy is coming off a strong U-20 World Cup where he earned much international praise while MLS is focused on Beckham, ie they have a bigger name to promote. Still, the league is asking for a $7.5 million transfer fee, which might be the hang up.

Is Adu worth that much? Based on his MLS work, probably not, especially when you look at Clint Dempsey, who had a much better track record, and see that he went for $4 million. Still, there is always that magic word that pops up whenever Adu is discuss, potential. Any club signing Adu is taking a risk, but he showed in Canada that when he is motivated, he can make things happen, but will he stay motivated enough to equal all the talk?

If he does move to Portugal, he will find himself a club rich with tradition and strong on talent meaning that the pressure on him to perform will be huge (maybe not as huge as carrying a whole league, but still a lot of pressure). MLS deserves to make some good money off an Adu transfer, but I hope that they do not let greed get in the way of Adu's future.