Abu shines as he gets increase in playing time

From July 4 to Aug. 19, Mohammed Abu went a month and a half between starts and more than three weeks without even playing. But he recently finished a big three-game week with 270 minutes under his belt for Crew SC.

Three full games in eight days is a heavy workload for any midfielder, let alone one who has spent long stretches as the No. 3 central midfielder for a team that plays with two.

Still, the 25-year-old from Ghana wasn’t willing to admit any fatigue during the Crew’s week off from MLS competition.

“I’m a professional. I really know how to take care of my body and relax and make sure I get everything I need,” Abu said. “I’m always ready to go. I don’t feel like my body is tired or something. I’m used to it. I feel good.”

The task for Abu over the Crew’s last three games was to fill the void left by 21-year-old midfielder Artur, who sat out with hamstring tightness.

Abu did so admirably over a 2-0-1 stretch for the Crew, particularly in a 2-1 win over FC Dallas on Aug. 26, when he completed 90.5 percent of his passes on a teamhigh 102 touches as the Crew dominated possession. He committed a pair of smart fouls while drawing five.

“He’s a guy who hung in there while not playing, but spoke about wanting to get a chance and then when he got a chance, he proved it,” coach Gregg Berhalter said after the Dallas game. “That’s what you want players to do, is when they get an opportunity, to step up.”

Abu’s adjustment to MLS in his first season with the Crew appears to have been rooted in time. Early in the season, the midfielder did not appear confident on the ball. Lately, he has

shown strong chemistry with fellow midfielder Wil Trapp, as well as the same vision that made him one of the top passing midfielders with Stromsgodset in Norway’s top league.

“I think in football, things happen so quickly, a lot of changes,” Abu said of the adjustment. “Otherwise, I don’t see a big difference.”

The most significant change in Abu’s life upon joining the Crew is a positive one. Abu’s wife of four years, Sadia, has been a Columbus resident for close to a decade, meaning Abu spent long stretches away from his wife and 2-year-old son, Mubarak, during his most recent stint with Stromsgodset.

“It was really difficult, especially when my son was born. Unfortunately, I was not here when he was born,” Abu said. “And the time difference was really difficult sometimes. I’d be going to training when they were going to bed. At midnight (in Norway) I had to wake up and talk to them.”

Now, Abu’s distance from his family is only as long as his commute from practice in Obetz. He visited Columbus during holidays and breaks in the soccer schedule while in Norway, but his working knowledge of the city has quickly improved thanks to Sadia.

“She already knows every corner, so I’ll be in training and (my wife and son) will be having fun somewhere,” Abu said. “When I go home, I’m going home to relax, so it makes me more ready for training all the time.”