The Impetuousness of Youth

According to Goff, Freddie sounds off again in the latest issue of World Soccer. Over-coached? He may as well just come out and say "I don't like playing defense, please don't make me," which is where the rest of the quote takes us anyway.

The continuum of young U.S. players and their respective headspaces is an interesting one. From DaMarcus Beasley's unrelenting willingness to challenge himself to get better, to Landon Donovan's utter lack thereof, to Freddie's emerging inability to be coached, to Jozy Altidore's stunning maturity. On the one hand, I think Freddie is setting himself up for failure the way that I think Donovan has with regard to improving himself through better competition, but on the other hand, Landon just won his fourth Player of the Year award, so what do I know?