Mo Edu: Back at Stoke[R]

Yep. Now let's rescue Freddy Adu & Joe Corona MLS!

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1934555-6-american-players-mls-should-bring-home-next

 

Always sad to see a YA leave the ranks, but at least Edu can always say he lived Bradley's and Dempsey's dream of playing in the Champions League.

 

On this day a dream dies, but a running back is born.

 

I really like this move for Mo. He's gonna love Philly Guna be fun to watch next season. Now they have possibly the best DM in the league

 

Mo's move is a 12 month loan with a purchase option according to Ives.

"Maurice Edu’s move to the Philadelphia Union was one of the more complicated moves of the winter, but the Union now have the player they feel can push the team back into the playoffs.

Sources tell Goal USA that Edu will be joining the Union on a 12-month loan with a purchase option. By bringing Edu on loan, the Union managed to avoid a conflict with MLS, which wasn’t interested in paying Edu the $1.5 million he was looking for.

Edu chose to return to MLS over options in England, France and Spain. Watford, Blackpool, Sochaux, Nantes and Real Betis were all interested in bringing the U.S. World Cup veteran for the second half of the European season, but Edu picked MLS with the hopes of impressing Jurgen Klinsmann enough for a place on the U.S. World Cup team."


I'm glad the Union are getting Mo but man, it would have been great to see him with Nantes or Betis.

 

Agreed. Would have been great to have another Yank in France or Spain. But will this move to Philly be enough to get a spot on the roster? He's ton of competition. Bradley, Jones, Cameron, Beckerman (maybe), Diskerudd.

 

If Mo plays well in the WC you could see him right back in Europe. This move gives him guaranteed playing time and visibility by the staff which is what he needs right now. Going head-to-head with Beckerman and Bradley in MLS will also help.

 

Betis is going down this year. I'm not sure that would have been a good career move.

 

Yeah, but if he showed well during a 6 month loan (I assume that's what it would have been), he would likely have better offers and chances to play in La Liga or France. I guess MLS is the safest choice for him to ensure playing time and improve his chances at making the WC team though, so I can't fault him for his decision.

 

I don't want any American going to Spain at this point. After the run of winning two Euros and a World Cup, the Spaniards have become super-snobbish in what respects soccer, and the chances of their clubs playing an American are very slim. If they get one, it'd be to sit him on the bench.

 

So is Stoke covering the rest of his salary (minus the $480-600k reported to be paid by the Union)? If so, good deal by MLS.

 

anything is better than he not even making the bench at Stoke. The Spaniards have earned the right to be snobbish, more so than our linguistic cousins who despite having seen like 20-30 Yanks in the past decade still give us no chance.

 

I hear ya. I know if I was a player, playing in spain would be attractive. Getting paid in Spain................maybe not so much.

 

Edu in Spain? Lol that'd be something. Probably be the most technically deficient player at Real Betis.

This move is for his World Cup chances. No comment on MLS and allocation, I think everyone gets it by now.

Before he went to Stoke he was always a Championship level player, never EPL.

 

how would you figure that? Betis is probably assured of being relegated. Surely Edu is worth a chance at starting and has some technical ability that can adapt to SPAIN.

 

Here is the introduction press conference.

 

How is he "DP" worthy? And can this be beneficial for the club as much as it could be for him? And if we can do DP loans, why can't we get the likes of say Jackson Martinez on loan or something?

 

I'm going to have to disagree here. When used in the right formation he has a pretty good soccer IQ and covers a lot of ground. Definitely lower table EPL, but he could make it at that level.

 

“We see him playing as a center midfielder, a box-to-box guy,” said Union manager John Hackworth. “And that’s truly why he’s here. We think he’s a guy that can do all the work behind the boxes, but can also put the ball in the back of the net…that’s the kind of role we see him playing here this year and for many years beyond, hopefully.”

That notion works out just fine for Edu.

“That’s where I feel most comfortable,” Edu told philadelphiaunion.com. “That’s where I started when I first signed in MLS with Toronto [in 2007]. It’s a pretty easy rotation especially when you are playing in what I assume will be a three-man midfield. I feel comfortable and I like to get on the ball whether it’s deeper or break forward and jump on the end of a play at the top of the box. I have always said that I’d like to add more goals to my game and I am fortunate that I’ll be able to do that.”
http://www.philadelphiaunion.com/ne...ns-signing-maurice-edu-deal-didnt-arrive-easy

 

Here's to hoping that Mo finds more 'offense' to his game by playing in MLS...where his skills will be able to shine through a bit easier.

 

There's really no telling where Mo's game is right now. He hasn't played in sooooo long.

 

what I wonder had Rangers not gone into administration, would he still be there? His move to STOKE happened on the deadline if I remember.

 

What’s better, Sakiewicz asked: Michael Bradley for more than $6 million a year, or Maurice Edu at a $1.5 million figure? He thinks it’s Edu, particularly when you consider the Union aren’t owned by a massive corporate conglomerate, as is the case with Toronto, Los Angeles and New York.

“I get frustrated when I see Tim Leiweke breaking the bank up there,” Sakiewicz said. “If we had spent that, we’d be mortgaging the team for 20 years. We have to do things different than the Los Angeles Galaxies, Torontos, and Red Bulls of the world.”

For the record, that $1.5 million figure isn’t Edu’s salary, but it might be the eventual transfer fee. Sakiewicz said the Union’s option to buy Edu is in “the low seven figures.” His actual salary will be about $600,000 with some incentives built in that could raise that figure, Sakiewicz said.
http://www.phillysoccerpage.net/2014/02/05/nick-sakiewicz-behind-the-curtain/

 

I think it's time we closed this thread, since Edu is no longer a YA.