If you haven't heard, Freddy Adu scored in Greece yesterday. It was a game winner, Freddy's first goal in...well just about forever, and adds another small item to the young American's still meager World Cup resume.


That hasn't stopped a response to Adu's recent play (not just in today's match, but his larger Greek body of work to this point) from coming, namely that of MFUSA contributor Matt over at his own blog.


I'll forgive Matt his excitement, and he certainly does admit that some will see his theory that Adu should even be considered for South Africa as ridiculous. I know how Matt feels; sometimes, even presenting a reasonable argument can be difficult to do when you perceive public opinion to be against you. But Matt makes a decent case for Adu, equal parts Freddy's own form and the lack of quality wide midfielders available to head man Bob Bradley.


I'll let you decide for yourself how much merit Matt's argument has, and whether or not Adu is an actual factor in the potential World Cup squad. My focus, though, is on the crux of Matt's argument: form.


In Adu's case, good form is so brand new as to almost be an aberration. When I noted earlier that Freddy's goal yesterday was his first in forever, I wasn't kidding; it was actually his first in three years. While Matt sees more potential in Adu's play than I do, the question is a relevant one; why shouldn't Adu's form, no matter the struggled he's had over the past few seasons, not push him into the World Cup conversation?


The United States simply doesn't have enough high-caliber players to dismiss one simply because he took time to find a soft landing spot in Europe. Nor can Bob Bradley dismiss a player because injury has stolen playing time from him heading towards June. It's a given that Dempsey, Onyewu, and Davies will be on the list of twenty-three when the Americans kickoff in Rustenburg, if healthy and able to go one hundred percent, because they are that important; their previous play leading up to the tournament matters less because they have track records and performances on the international level.


Of course players like Johnson, Adu, etc., don't get the same kind of leeway. But should we dismiss them as possible contributors just because they didn't spend the last three plus years on top of their games? Wouldn't it make sense to take fringe players who are peaking at the right time rather than those who might have better past resumes but are flailing a bit now? By that logic, Adu should at least in the mix even if he ultimately doesn't make the squad.


I don't see any way that Freddy Adu makes the US World Cup team, no matter how well he plays in Greece. But that doesn't mean I can't see the validity of Matt's point, that when it comes to the most important international tournament, form should trump almost everything else.


If, when Bob Bradley fills out his roster for June, Freddy Adu, Eddie Johnson, Kenny Cooper, or any number of other players on the bubble are among those in the best form at their position, shouldn't that count for something?