Atlanta Soccer News: Art, Music and Culture: Mo Edu at Career Crossroads

As Maurice Edu enters the prime of his career, things are starting to shape up nicely for the United States international midfielder.

The recent hiring of Jurgen Klinsmann as the head coach of the Stars and Stripes has finally given the 25-year-old a chance to establish himself in the starting XI. In addition, after a slow start for his club Rangers FC this season, Edu has responded well with some of the best performances of his career over the past few weeks. He has scored a goal and dished out one assist in his past three appearances for the club.

The culmination of both has led to speculation that this might be Edu’s last season in Scotland as he has won everything that he could domestically and assumedly would like a new challenge. Ligue 1’s AJ Auxerre and the Premier League’s Queens Park Rangers were both linked to the Gers star over the summer and Edu confirmed that there was some truth to the rumors.
Edu on his future at Rangers
The United States midfielder spoke exclusively to Goal.com about life under Jurgen Klinsmann and whether or not this is his last year at Rangers Football Club.

“Football is a funny thing because things can change every day. There are things that are out of my control that can take place and again it’s hard to really predict anything.”

- Maurice Edu

“Yea there was some truth to the reports about different teams being interested,” Edu told Goal.com in an exclusive interview. “In the end of the day, that’s always going to happen, the speculation of a possible move. I think as a player, you have to focus on what’s in front of you. At times, those things can weigh on your mind if you let it but I tried not to worry about it and focus on the season.”

Still, it won’t be necessarily easy for the former MLS Rookie of the Year to leave one of Europe’s historic clubs. With three SPL titles and Scottish Cups on his resume, Edu’s success with the club has made him a high-profile player for the European team, a rarity for most Americans outside of Everton’s Tim Howard and Fulham’s Clint Dempsey.

“Since I’ve came to the club, I’ve been welcome here. I really feel like I am a part of this club.” said Edu. “Over the course of time as I started to play more and help the team, scoring goals whether in Europe or in the Old Firm, it’s just made things that more enjoyable. I continued to grow as a player and push forward.“

Putting Together Team America

Edu’s influence with Rangers could be seen in two of the club's biggest moves of the summer as it brought fellow Americans Carlos Bocanegra and Alejandro Bedoya to Ibrox Stadium. Edu was consulted on both transfers by head coach Ally McCoist, who replaced the long-tenured and legendary coach Walter Smith.

“Ultimately, it comes down to the manager and the owner but when they asked me about both players, I spoke with them and offered my honest opinion,” Edu explained. “I thought both could come in and help in making this a better team.“

Bocanegra, the 32-year-old defender, has been deemed by most Glasgow papers as the top signing of the season so far while 23-year-old winger Bedoya has shown glimpses of his potential in limited appearances.

“Carlos has come in and become a mainstay in the backline in all of the games that he’s played in. Alejandro has come off the bench a few times and done well,” said Edu. “I’m sure over the course of their time here, they will both become important players for the club.“

The American trio has been dubbed the new Team America, adopting the moniker from the 2007-08 Fulham side that featured Bocanegra, Dempsey, Kasey Keller, Eddie Johnson and Brian McBride, and narrowly escaped relegation on the final day of the season. Edu has enjoyed being able to play with his countrymen and wants his two new teammates to experience the success of winning a title with Rangers and earning their first European silverware.

“There’s that somewhat familiarity already,” said Edu. “We understand each other and we know each other, so there’s that comfort level. I think that helps us and helps the team.”

A Fresh Start With The National Team

Edu has also enjoyed life under Klinsmann with his national team. Despite his vast accomplishments in Scotland and playing regularly in the Champions League prior to this season’s disappointing early exit, Edu had limited opportunities to prove himself in a starting role for the U.S. under Bob Bradley, who was relieved of his coaching duties in July.

The 53-year-old coach preferred Ricardo Clark, Jermaine Jones and his son Michael Bradley in the holding midfield roles. Even if any of those players struggled, Bob Bradley was reluctant in bringing Edu on. A clear example of this was during this summer’s Gold Cup, where he only made three appearances off the bench despite the U.S. team's struggles in controlling the midfield.
Edu on Klinsmann
The United States midfielder spoke exclusively to Goal.com about life under Jurgen Klinsmann and whether or not this is his last year at Rangers Football Club.

“So far, it’s been good. I think everyone has enjoyed it so far, we haven’t gotten the results that we’ve wanted but I think we’ve played some pretty good football in the last two friendly matches.”

- Maurice Edu

With Klinsmann on board, the U.S. midfield has enjoyed much more possession, even though it has failed to win a game. Edu has two solid performances in his starts under the former Germany and Bayern Munich boss.

“Everyone’s excited to see what he brings in, in terms of how he wants us to play,” the midfielder said. “So far, it’s been good. I think everyone has enjoyed it so far, we haven’t gotten the results that we’ve wanted but I think we’ve played some pretty good football in the last two friendly matches.”

Edu believes that the results will eventually improve because the players respect the coach and the talent is there to implement his offensive approach.

“Obviously, he’s well respected for things that he’s done not only as a coach but a player as well,” Edu said. “Defending is still emphasized here but I think with the players we have, we have the capability to play a little bit more attack-minded football.”

While the U.S. has traditionally played a defensive style of play under its last two coaches Bradley and Bruce Arena, Edu believes that the team’s transformation won’t be difficult.

“The transition is a pretty easy one. I don’t think it’s a complete opposite end of the spectrum," said Edu. "I think it’s a pretty well balanced scheme. I think some of the more technically gifted players that are really encouraged to express themselves.“

However, Edu harbors no resentment toward Bradley and was as shocked as most players were when the United States Soccer Federation decided to go a different direction. Bradley gave the midfielder his first international cap in 2007 and he is happy that his former national team coach has been given a rare opportunity abroad – coaching the Egyptian national team.

“It is an exciting new role for him and it’s a challenging one,” said Edu. “I’m sure he’s up for that challenge. He has a lot of qualities as a manager that I think will benefit Egypt and he has a lot of good that he can bring to that team.”

Missing Out On Europe Was Devastating

In a year that has been generally positive for the midfielder, Edu admits missing out on European competition this season was a major disappointment – a factor that could play in his potential exit. Since Rangers or Celtic are always usually a shoe-in for the Scottish title, the real motivation of players from both sides is having a chance to prove their merits against some of Europe’s top teams.

“We would have loved to still have been playing in Europe. Champions League games have started now, Europa League games have started now, so watching those games… it’s a little bit…” Edu said, before a short pause.

“It kind of sucks watching those games and not being a part of it.”

The SPL’s decline as a league over the past five years has resulted in both the Champions League and the Europa league no longer being guaranteed for the league’s champions and runners-up. Both are selected for qualifying draws and entry into the tournament often depends on the luck of the draw. Rangers lost in both of its chances to get into a European competition as it surprisingly lost to Malmo in the Champions League qualifier and to to NK Maribor in the subsequent Europa League qualifier.

What’s next for Mo…

So once again, the question remains. Will Edu remain at Ibrox Stadium after this season? He would neither confirm nor deny but he admitted that the challenge of pursing his fourth SPL title, especially with Bocanegra and Bedoya on board, has made it exciting again this season.

However, he did hint that things can change in an instant.

“Football is a funny thing because things can change everyday.” Edu said “There are things that are out of my control that can take place and again it’s hard to really predict anything in this game. At the moment I'm just enjoying playing my football."