Photo: Paul Rudderow
Dear Philadelphia Union front office,
Maurice Edu has not seen the grass at Talen Energy in over a year.
In 2007, there was hype around a young college player out of the University of Maryland. This player was Maurice Edu. In the 2007 Superdraft, Toronto FC selected him first overall. The expansion side was thrilled with his potential, and he lived up to those expectations. He soon became a consistent member of the US National Team and a solid US export. In 2008, Rangers came calling for his signature, and in 2012 Stoke City won him over. In his 3 year spell in the premier league, however, he made only one appearance. Despite his success at Ibrox, the Stoke was clearly a tough spell for Mo.
In 2015, he returned stateside and joined the Union. The move to Philadelphia made sense for Mo. He captained the side, saw new management come in, and even scored a goal in the USOC final. He’s found a new home in Philly, and Philly loves Mo.
So one can only ask:
Where is he?
What are his plans?
Before reinjuring himself, he was said to be out for a few months. Months and months passed, and the club kept pushing his return further and further back. With his new injury, more months have passed, and no estimate has been given.
The Union has a history of revealing little-to-nothing that goes on in the front office, but as fans, don’t we deserve to know what one of our DP’s is doing?
If his plans are to continue playing, great. It’s a bit of a question as to where he might play upon his return. Center midfield and center back are both clogged, but I love to imagine a healthy Mo behind Bedoya and Medunjanin. Edu might even give a needed push that could vault the Union into the playoffs.
On the other hand, he is a DP. After some time off and a few birthdays, it is fair to say he won’t be the same player he was if he returns. But the Union could still get a decent check for a player like him, and as a DP he could free up half a million dollars.
We even spotted Edu doing color commentary for one of the Union’s home games! Could this be the next step for Maurice Edu? (Personally, I like Tommy Smyth yelling about an onion bag.)
As fans, we would like to be informed on injuries and know what’s next for Maurice Edu, whether he returns to the field, finds a new city, or finds himself in the broadcasting booth.
As supporters, we back you. We may disagree or get frustrated, but we just want to know what the deal is with one of our DP’s and club icons. So…
Hey Mo, where are you?
Sincerely,
Your backing through thick and thin
This Union fan does not love Mo. I mean he’s a nice guy and all, but there’s no love here. Also Edu makes over $700k, not half a million. Honestly I can’t wait for his salary to get off the books. I wish him the best in his future endeavors, but I couldn’t care less what they are. That is unless somehow he remains in a Union uniform and then I’d be pretty pissed.
But only half a million of his salary counts against the salary cap.
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Edu showed a ton of quality while healthy and was willing to lay his body on the line and play injured to attempt to get the Union our first trophy in the USOC Final in ’16. It’s been frustrating to have him on the books the past two seasons, but he could have been bought off the salary cap if the ownership was willing to spend the money. Once again, we’re blaming others was Sugarman’s unwillingness to invest properly in the squad.
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Should Edu be resigned for a DP salary? Absolutely not. But if the medical staff is confident in him, there’s no reason not to resign him if he’s willing to settle for a salary around 300k or so next year.
Knowing our owner I’m sure that other 200k while not against the cap still hurts and hamstrings us.
What Kevin said. I cannot understand the Mo hatred. Of course he can’t come back for $700K, that’s obvious. But it’s not like anybody knew that the guy was going to get a series of crushing injuries, and he certainly played very well for us before that. I am not certain that he has a place on the team now, especially with the emergence of Jack Elliot, but it depends on how he develops, how much Gooch has left in him, how good Richie Marquez might be, and how good Mo himself might be once he gets back. All the vitriol over what is, essentially, a lot of bad luck is really misplaced and mean-spirited.
I don’t hate Mo, I just don’t love him. And I don’t think he was ever good enough to get the salary he did. I’d much rather give time to one of the younger players. So I really hope he’s not here next year.
Edu is going to have to accept a significant pay cut to play again. He’ll have been without a single minute of play for more than 2 seasons by the time the 2018 MLS season begins. It’s too bad. He is (was?) a very good player who I have no doubt would have helped this team win some games over the last two seasons. I wish him well in the future, but I don’t expect him to be back on this team at all.
Edu? Never heard of him
I would also like to know more and not just for curiosity’s sake. This is a team that struggles convincing its fan base that its serious about trying to compete in this league and they need to explain to us if their second highest paid player is still capable of playing and if not why his contract wasn’t bought out. The way they handle this whole situation would speak to whether or not they are serious
when he was in the announcer’s box Mo said he was training and expected to be back on the field soon. I took that as hopeful he would be back in a Union kit this season. He suggested he might need a few games with the Steel to get back into game shape.
Before that I was expecting to see his face on the side of a milk carton, the silence was deafening.
As to where Mo would play, and whether Curtin would change his defense to accommodate him, that is a whole other question….
Edu – let me refresh my memory. Yes , he would be the player who missed a spot kick in the Open Cup final. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
Amobi.Okugo.
When he was in the booth he said he was at about 80%. That sounds like not playing this year and pretty much ever again.
At this point, they should only be playing kids at every position they can as the season is over.
I thought it was very eye-opening when he was asked about his timetable to return by JP and Tommy when he was in the broadcast booth. He said glib lines like “I’m working hard” and ” I can’t wait to be back on the field with the guys” and “even if it’s not me, whoever is on the field…”
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Not one concrete timeframe or schedule for his return. Still.
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He just agreed with whatever JP/Tommy threw out:
JP/Tommy -“How close are you to being 100%? About 75% 80%”
Mo – “yeah, 80%”
JP/Tommy – “and you’ll probably play some with Bethlehem first?”
No -“yeah, Bethlehem first”
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I’m troubled that he didn’t say anything about the leg feeling better, or the injury being healed, or only bring a few weeks away from full practice, or anything at all that gave me any confidence that he will ever be back on a soccer pitch…
the exchange with JP was… uncomfortable. basically “great to have you here doing color, hope to see you…do whatever it is you’re going to be doing after this exchange.” Union FO thought this was a good idea? ill preparing JP, on air—this is acceptable?
the Union FO opaque the Mo situation for no reason. no timetable, no prognosis, no acknowledgment that they’ve handled this situation awkwardly. coming from a hockey background, for example, when Chris Pronger’s career ended, everyone knew it was gonna suck because the Flyers were on the hook for his salary. but there was empathy and respect both for the organization and the man.
The message I took away from Edu’s comments about his recovery during the broadcast of the Swansea exhibition games was that, by implication, he was cleared o practice fully, and that he was close to the beginning of the process to get his practice fitness back. After becoming able to perform well in practice comes games which another level of challenge.
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How many times has everyone been disappointed by a Maurice Edu recovery?
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The one conclusion I think everyone can agree to is that he does not seem to heal rapidly these days, and we know he puts high stress on his body. [his current injury was a one car accident suffered while going all out to score a goal in practice. I saw it happen.] So caution is doubly appropriate.
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He had three rehabs last year with the Steel. The first was a rusty half an hour, the second he substantially exceeded his expected medical parameters, and in the third he was integral to one of the best 20-30 minute displays of soccer that team displayed all season.
E-who?
If Gooch can make a return to form for MLS, Mo can. It may take more time, but former world class players at 3/4 speed fit just fine in MLS. Especially the Union … who won’t fund the team to compete at the top.
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