He may have hoped to have been in Mexico City today but, instead, it seems that Freddy Adu is poised to make the journey from Portugal to Denmark, where, reports suggest, he is to sign for Odense on a season-long loan.

Odense is a good side. Runner-up in the Danish Superliga last season, only once in the last seven campaigns has it finished outside the top 5. Should it beat Genoa in the Europa League playoffs, games in the competition's group stage would offer further playing opportunities for Adu. However, it should be noted that similar positive thoughts abounded when the young American joined Benfica and Monaco, and in neither setting did he excel.

Thus, while, on the face of it, the move (assuming he makes it) is a good one, the dominant issue when it comes to Adu remains not where he plays, but whether he plays. This is a player who last saw time in a club game Dec. 21 of last year. That was with Monaco, for whom he logged precisely 95 minutes in nine appearances off the bench throughout 2008-09.

Denmark has become a popular destination for Americans on the fringes of Bob Bradley's first-choice squad. For some, such as Benny Feilhaber, moving to the Scandinavian nation has been the catalyst for a return to the top table. Others, such as Michael Parkhurst and Jeremiah White, have had more fleeting looks in less critical situations with the national team.

Having just turned 20, Adu still has time on his side, which is just as well, for he has a long road ahead of him if he is to fulfill the potential he showed in glimpses during his teenage years. It is to be hoped that Odense offers him the chance to log some minutes and establish himself in a position, be it on the flank or supporting a main striker.

On his Twitter page, Adu continually tells us how hard he is working. Hopefully, with this latest move, he will be rewarded with some better luck.

A thing that made me go, "Hmmm …"

Is there a more in-form team in MLS at the moment than Los Angeles, which finds itself second in the West after having won five of its last six games?

The most impressive aspect of the run has been the efficiency with which L.A. is putting away its opponents. Credit for this has to go to Bruce Arena, who is the clear leader at this stage, in my opinion, for the league's Coach of the Year award. Having been given time to build the team he wanted, Arena now oversees a group that plays exactly as he demands.

The return of David Beckham was handled masterfully by the wisecracking Brooklyn native, who addressed head-on the issues surrounding the Englishman. The result has been a successful assimilation for Beckham, who has become one of the team, as opposed to "the man."

Against New England on Saturday, there was less frantic chasing into corners from Beckham, who neither felt compelled to take the ball off his back line before launching over-ambitious 70-yard passes. Around him are players he trusts and who know how to do the jobs they have been given. It all bodes increasingly well for an L.A. story this postseason.

Well played, young men

Perhaps the only team that can argue it is playing better than the Galaxy is Columbus, which has won four in a row following a late show against San Jose.

The Columbus resurgence has similarities to that of Los Angeles, in that it has been masterminded by a coach -- Robert Warzycha -- who needed some time to put his stamp on the team. Furthermore, the Crew has also won methodically, with an ever-improving defense providing a solid foundation on which to build.

However, while the Galaxy has stars such as Beckham and Landon Donovan, Columbus has hit peak form without the league's most valuable player. Guillermo Barros Schelotto has not played since July 11, but his absence has not been felt, thanks to the form of Jason Garey and Steven Lenhart.

Behind the front two, Robbie Rogers and Eddie Gaven have found some of their 2008 form, while goal-scoring displays off the bench by Alejandro Moreno and Adam Moffat on Saturday were further boosts for the defending champion, which, after a slow start to the season, looks to have found even more ways to win.