Edu Steeling for another comeback try
CHESTER » The details are different. The scar tissue is greater, physically and psychologically. And the lessons aren’t easily translated from one year to the next.
But for the second straight summer, the Union have reached a juncture at which Maurice Edu’s return from injury seems imminent. And while last year’s trajectory may not be functionally applicable to this journey, the emotions from the midfielder’s emergence from a selfdescribed “hell” still resonate.
“It was good, just good to be back on the pitch again, getting touches on the ball, trying to break up plays, running around, all the little small things you take for granted,” Edu said Tuesday. “It’s just good to get back to doing the basics.”
“It’s great for him to get that first 30 minutes under his belt, connect his passes, gain confidence that he can do it again, which is powerful in itself,” manager Jim Curtin said. “Now he has to work his way to start for 90 minutes for Steel and from there then we can start talking about being in the 18 for us.”
Edu logged 32 minutes with Bethlehem Sunday in a 3-1 loss to Louisville City FC, his first game action of the season after a tormented two years of injuries. He reported no surprises and trained fully Tuesday with the Union, indicating no residual pain.
The condensed timeline for the 31-year-old designated player: Groin injury in Aug. 2015. Returned for an MLS game Sept. 20 vs. Houston and the Sept. 30 U.S. Open Cup final. Then postseason sports hernia surgery which turned into a stress fracture in his tibia in the spring of 2016. He returned last summer for three Steel games and selection three times as an unused sub on the Union bench. Then, on the eve of the season finale with Edu slated to start, he re-fractured his tibia.
The dates are eerily similar and provide a rough blueprint of the next steps. Edu resumed training July 19, 2016, debuted Sept. 4 with Steel and made the Union bench by Sept. 24. This season, his first training session was June 30. He’s remained around three weeks ahead of last year’s pace.
Both player and manager pointed out that Edu is a long way from stepping into the Union lineup. But he’s taken an important step on the pathway, not just testing his leg physically but rebuilding the mental confidence he’ll need to restart his career.
“For me it doesn’t make sense to dwell on things that have happened in the past or focus on that because it takes energy that I need to put into other things,” Edu said. “I’m just focused on what’s happening here and now for me, focusing on just conquering every challenge that’s put in front of me every day. Today, that challenge was just getting through training and making sure I showed well for myself. I got the work out of it that I needed and added to my fitness level for the next game.”
Edu’s path back into the lineup won’t be easy. Haris Medunjanin and Alejandro Bedoya have cemented starting roles in the center of the pitch. Viable backups Warren Creavalle and Derrick Jones have scarcely gotten minutes, and Curtin isn’t one to rotate his squad.
Edu is in the final year of a hefty contract that has yielded the Union minimal return the last two years. For a penurious club, that loss is more profound.
“To not have your DP and not be a team that obviously has the three big-money players, so to not have him has been tough,” Curtin said. “And we haven’t really talked about it until I get asked about it, so again, it’s a situation that’s hard for everyone in the organization. It’s hardest on him because he wants to be on the team moving forward and he wants to be on the field moving forward.”
Edu may not be dwelling on the past, but he’s seen enough in his interminable purgatory to know preliminary victories are just that. His celebration won’t occur until he’s playing at a high level for the Union.
So Sunday’s Steel cameo is only a stepping stone, one on which he won’t rest for long.
“You take it with a grain of salt,” he said. “Obviously, I’m happy because this year’s been hell. So definitely happy with that, but the real excitement will be when I walk out on the pitch with the first team. Baby steps in a longer process than maybe I anticipated, so pleased with that, but at the end of the day, my focus and my goal is to play with the first team. It’s not to just be content to be back fit or be back training or be back playing with the Steel. These are all steps along the way to get to the bigger picture.”
*** Andre Blake will start Wednesday against Eastern Conference leader Toronto FC. Blake hasn’t played for the Union since July 2 thanks to international duty and a lacerated hand sustained in the Gold Cup final for Jamaica.
John McCarthy has made eight straight starts.
“He’s good. It’s good to have him back,” Curtin said. “I think Johnny did a good job in his absence, but to have Andre, a goalkeeper of the year, back, we’ve missed him obviously now for several games. Johnny again did a great job getting some points for us, but at the same time, to have Andre back in net is a good thing for the group.”
Oguchi Onyewu (groin) and Ilsinho (adductor) trained fully Tuesday and are set to travel.