Maurice Edu Made Bob Bradley's 23-Man 2010 U.S. World Cup Squad After 7-Month Injury Comeback
Updated
Updated · FOX Sports · May 24
Maurice Edu Made Bob Bradley's 23-Man 2010 U.S. World Cup Squad After 7-Month Injury Comeback
4 articles · Updated · FOX Sports · May 24
May 26, 2010 became Edu’s most nerve-racking day as he learned he had survived the final cuts and earned a place on the U.S. roster for South Africa.
A 7-month layoff after a knee injury at Rangers had cost him the 2009 Confederations Cup, forcing him to rebuild his case in the final U.S. camps before the tournament.
45 minutes against the Netherlands in March and a 90-minute outing with his only U.S. goal in a 4-2 loss to Czechia were his last chances to impress Bob Bradley’s staff.
30 players entered the Tampa camp and 7 were cut after the Czechia friendly, with Edu recalling the tense hotel-room summons before realizing he was among the 23 selected.
For Edu, the call-up capped years of work and a comeback he said restored his place in the national-team brotherhood ahead of the 2010 World Cup.
Maurice Edu's comeback was fueled by fear. Is this intense psychological pressure a necessary ingredient for World Cup success?
The 2010 team faced brutal cuts. With the World Cup on home soil, has that pressure changed for today's players?
We celebrate the players who make the team, but what is the true cost for the athletes sent home at the final moment?