“I will show you that I’m a ninety-minute player.”

Freddy Adu is not the first big name on DC United to complain about playing time. In the early days of the 1996 season an until then less than impressive Marco Etcheverry became so frustrated with his lack of playing time that he complained directly to Bruce Arena. He insisted that he had not come to MLS to be subbed out, or - worse yet - subbed in during the second half. He was better than that.

In response Arena challenged Etcheverry to be the player he claimed he was. “I will show you that I’m a ninety-minute player,” replied Etcheverry. Arena gave him the chance to prove himself, and Etcheverry rose to the occasion and took the team to championship after championship.

There are many ways to think about Freddy Adu’s most recent outburst, but I keep coming back to that confrontation between Etcheverry and Arena. That was a pivotal moment for DC United. Without it the team never would have achieved everything it has. Arena gave Etcheverry the chance to achieve greatness and Etcheverry did great things with that chance.

The question is not whether Freddy Adu’s situation is comparable to Marco Etcheverry’s. Nor is it whether Adu as a player is comparable to Etcheverry. The question is whether Peter Nowak could give the same sort of challenge and chance to Adu as Arena gave to Etcheverry.

Does Adu have a real opportunity at DC United to prove that he’s a ninety-minute man? If we’re going to be honest then the answer is likely no. It’s unlikely that he can displace Christian Gomez, and it’s even more unlikely that Nowak would change his formation to put both Gomez and Adu on the field at the same time.

If as many believe Freddy Adu is destined for great things, and if Nowak cannot do for him what Arena did for Etcheverry, then perhaps Adu should seek another team where he’ll truly have the chance to show them he’s a ninety-minute player.