CHESTER, Pa. -- One of Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin’s favorite things about Maurice Edu is the captain’s ability to shut down the big-name, marquee players on opposing teams.
It’s especially disappointing, then, that Edu will almost certainly miss the opportunity to defend Didier Drogba in what will be the new Montreal Impact star’s MLS debut when the Union visit State Saputo on Saturday (8 pm ET; MLS LIVE).
Edu is currently dealing with a partially torn left groin, suffered in a game against the New York Red Bulls on Aug. 1, that has kept him out of the last two league matches, the latter of which the Union allowed three goals in a disappointing draw with the Chicago Fire on Sunday.
“It would be a miracle if he’s ready by the weekend,” Curtin said. “I don’t anticipate that.”
Perhaps even more miraculous was the fact that Edu played through such a serious injury to help spur the Union to a 1-0 US Open Cup semifinal victory over the Chicago Fire last Wednesday (between the two league games he missed).
Curtin admitted it was a “major risk for him to even be on the field” for that game but that he left the decision up to his captain. And Edu felt like he needed to help his team return to the US Open Cup championship for the second straight year, even though he said that “there was pain throughout the whole game.”
“To be honest, after the Red Bull game , I thought there would have been no chance for me to play,” Edu told MLSsoccer.com. “That’s the way I felt at that point. I was in a lot of pain, it was hard to walk and my movements were nonexistent to be honest. But it’s a credit to all the guys I’ve been working with and the treatment I’ve been doing to get me to the stage where I was able to, you know, just grit my teeth together and just get through it.”
Edu added that the “pain is a lot more tolerable when you win,” and it’s certainly a credit to the Union captain that no one outside the locker room knew he was playing on a torn groin until a few days after Philly’s big Open Cup triumph.
But now that the Union’s place in the title game is secure, Edu seems like he might want to be more cautious with the injury, even though the team’s MLS playoff hopes could go from dire to virtually nonexistent with a loss this weekend.
“I’m trying to push it but at the same time I want to be smart,” said. “I would hate to push it too much and have a setback that keeps me out longer.”
Edu quickly said “of course” when asked if the allure of matching up against a “world-class player” like Drogba in a sold-out stadium is something he’d enjoy. But, at the same time, it’s not something that would make him rush back before he’s ready.
“That’s an outside factor,” the Union captain said. “That wouldn’t be my motivation to play. My motivation to play is because I want to help this team and help us get points and make a playoff push.”
Dave Zeitlin covers the Union for MLSsoccer.com. Email him at djzeitlin@gmail.com.
