Nowak to lead USA Olympic effort

The USSF announced on Wednesday that former DC United coach and U.S. national team assistant Peter Nowak would be the new coach of the U.S. under-23 tasked with qualifying for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

"We have 12 months to prepare for the most important tournament in this age group, and I am anxious to build on the work that we have already started with many of these players," Nowak said. "As we saw in the U-20 World Cup, we have some great young talent, and I will spend the next couple of months getting a good look at the whole group. Our job is not only to qualify for the Olympic Games, but to continue to prepare these players for service with the full national team."

So, you think Freddy Adu is happy to see his old coach take the reins of a team that he was likely to be one of the central figures. Why wouldn't he be? How quickly we forget. You see, Nowak and Adu didn't see eye to eye. Here's a trip down memory lane courtesy of Freddyadublog.com.

Then to the surprise of many, after what appeared to be a stellar game for the young Freddy Adu coach Nowak subbed Matias Donnet in the 65th minute for Adu. With Adu out, that changed the pace of the game and the Revolution were able to wind down the clock and come out victorious to move on to the finals. Although Nowak said he wanted fresh legs in the game and that was the reason for the substitute it came at an unusual time sparking debate over whether the substitution was just a stab at rumors that Freddy Adu might be moving to play in Europe.

Here's another one from a more traditional source (USA Today):

Adu vented his frustrations to reporters in October while United was preparing for the opening game of the playoffs. He said he should be playing "a lot more," even though he had started 16 of 25 regular-season games and averaged about 60 minutes per appearance as a second-year player. He said his lack of playing time had wrecked his chances of making the U.S. World Cup team and left open the possibility that he would leave United at the end of the season.

So, the drama is set to start again and soon, as Nowak has announced his attentions to organize some friendly matches to test the waters of the U-23 player pool before qualification begins next March. Looking at the players available this could be the U.S.'s strongest Olympic team ever.

Here's what Nowak had to say about the player pool on ussoccer.com:

“We feel very good about what is available to us. I think the bulk of the group will come from the players who played in the U-20 World Cup in Canada. There are also a lot of older players who are playing abroad – guys like Charlie Davies, Benny Feilhaber, Kamani Hill, Lee Nguyen and Jonathan Spector - that could play important roles. We know that working with the schedules of these players will be difficult, so that is why it is critical to move forward as quickly as possible. As for other players, we will certainly keep an open mind throughout the process.”