One Mo Thing: Inside the Drama Of Making The United States’ World Cup Roster

IN One Mo Thing with Maurice Edu, the former US national team midfielder brings you inside the mind of a player at the World Cup.

The most nervous day of my sporting life was May 26, 2010. That was the day I found out I was going to be on the USA roster for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

It was the culmination of a lifelong journey, as well as a massive comeback. I had moved to Rangers Football Club in the Scottish Premiership, suffered a huge knee injury and came back to claim my place in Bob Bradley’s 23-man squad.

The process this year for the US team was a little different than it was for the World Cup in 2010. My last game with the Rangers that year was May 9th. Then 30 players were called to a training camp in Tampa ahead of a friendly against the Czech Republic (then known as the Czech Republic). The day after that game, seven players were cut to get down to the 23-man roster.

This year rosters were set before the last day of the club season.

Here’s the story of how I made the World Cup and how I found it.

The journey

I broke into the national team setup at the end of 2007, making three appearances in World Cup qualifiers. The following August I moved to Rangers.

Then, at the end of my first season in Glasgow in May 2009, I picked up a knee injury which saw me miss around seven months. That meant I wasn’t involved in that summer’s Confederations Cup, which featured winners from all six continental championships, the reigning World Cup champions and the host nation. The tournament was in South Africa since it was to host the 2010 World Cup.

Famously, the USA beat reigning European champions Spain in the semi-finals in Bloemfontein. The team also held a 2-0 lead over Brazil in the final, before three goals in a row won the tournament for the Brazilians.

Clint Dempsey celebrates his goal against Spain in USA’s upset victory at the 2009 Confederations Cup. (Getty Images)

Watching from home, I had so many mixed feelings. A part of me jumped out of my seat with every moment, every goal, excited for my teammates and friends. I was on the phone with these guys from South Africa and lived every moment vicariously through them.

The other part of me has some serious “FOMO.” That brotherhood, camaraderie and pride – I missed all that.

Before the Confederations Cup, I felt really good about where I was with the team. I felt I would have played a significant role in that tournament if it wasn’t for the injury. So it felt like I had to start over.

The comeback

However, I used that summer as motivation. Once I recovered, the next chance I would have with the national team was the friendlies at the end of February and March 2010. I knew I had to do everything in my power to make sure I would be in the March camp.

I knew those games and training camp would matter. It was the last chance for Bob Bradley and his coaching staff to get an extended look at us before the end of the club season.

The match I was in was on March 3rd in Amsterdam where we lost 2-1 to the Netherlands. I came on at half-time for Jose Torres and got 45 minutes in midfield alongside Michael Bradley, which is the job we were all competing for.

In that friendly against the Czechs, I played all 90 minutes of a 4-2 loss and scored my only goal for the national team. At the time, there was nothing else I could do and I felt good about my status.

Maurice Edu celebrates his goal against the Czechs in a friendly ahead of the 2010 World Cup. (Getty Images)

Even so, I had missed a significant amount of time and some important games between the Confederations Cup and the games in autumn 2009. The value of playing in such a tournament is that you get a series of games. It’s a chance to establish yourself and strengthen your value to the team over several games. While friendlies and qualifiers in the middle of the club season are important, I always felt that a tournament was valuable because you get a series of matches and knockout round matches that are even more important and tense.

When I finally made it back to the national team camp in the spring of 2010, I knew it was time to get to work. I had to put my head down and deliver.

The decision

The day after that friendly was the most tense day. No more chances to make an impression. The coaches have all the information they want.

I felt confident that I would be on the plane to South Africa, but that didn’t necessarily calm my nerves.

The day after that friendly against the Czechs, we were all in our hotel rooms and I got a call on the phone in my room. They told me to go to a certain room downstairs. That was it, no other information given to me. There was no indication that I would receive positive or negative news upon arrival.

It led to the longest walk ever.

I just wanted to get to that room. I don’t like having to wait. I needed to know the answer either way.

I knew I had done everything I could to earn a spot on the roster, but I was also prepared for whatever might happen. There was nothing more I could do at that point.

I get to the room and there are a couple of guys in there. We’re all thinking, “Well, what’s going on?”

From there, more guys start coming in, and more after them. You start to realize that you made it. Then certain other people started walking in and I was like, “Hey, wait a minute. I’m in the same room as this person. I’m in good company.” It was a huge moment of relief.

Striker Edson Buddle (left) and Maurice Edu train during the build-up to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. (Getty Images)

After the team meeting to make the roster, there was an immediate feeling that we wanted to talk to our brothers and teammates who were not going to be on the plane. While they wouldn’t be in the 23-man squad, they were very much a part of the team and brotherhood that got us to that point.

Making the list was the culmination of so many years of work towards this goal. When I realized it had finally happened, it was a moment I will never forget.

From there, the coaches come in and say a few words like, “This is going to be a quick turnaround,” because a few days later we were doing the shift release on television, and then there was a lot more to do, including a trip to the White House.

Then we had to lock in again. We had a tournament to play. And what a tournament it was.