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In one more thing With Maurice Edu, the former United States national team midfielder takes you into the mind of a player in the World Cup.
The most nervous day of my sporting life was May 26, 2010. That was the day I found out that I was going to be on the United States squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
It was the culmination of a lifelong journey, as well as a massive comeback. I moved to Rangers Football Club in the Scottish Premier League, suffered a big knee injury and came back to claim my place in Bob Bradley’s 23-man squad.
This year’s process for the US team was a little different than the 2010 World Cup. My last game with the Rangers that year was May 9. Then, 30 players were called to a training camp in Tampa ahead of a friendly against Czechia (then known as the Czech Republic). The day after that game, seven players were cut to be reduced to the 23-player roster.
This year, rosters were set before the last day of the club’s season.
Maurice Edu (bottom left) in the starting lineup for the United States against the Czech Republic (now known as Czech Republic) on May 25, 2026. (Getty Images)
Here’s the story of how I made it to the World Cup squad and how I found out.
The trip
I came into the national team setup at the end of 2007 and participated in three World Cup qualifiers. The following August, I moved to Rangers.
Then, at the end of my first season in Glasgow in May 2009, I suffered a knee injury which caused me to miss around seven months. That meant I didn’t take part in that summer’s Confederations Cup, which featured the winners of the six continental championships, the reigning World Cup champion and the host nation. The tournament was held in South Africa as it was scheduled to host the 2010 World Cup.
The United States famously beat Spain, the reigning European champion, in the semi-finals in Bloemfontein. The team also had a 2-0 lead over Brazil in the final before three consecutive goals won the tournament for the Brazilians.
Clint Dempsey celebrates his goal against Spain in the United States’ surprise victory in the 2009 Confederations Cup. (Getty Images)
Watching it from home, I had a lot of mixed emotions. A part of me jumped out of my seat with every moment, with every goal, excited for my teammates and friends. I was on the phone with these guys from South Africa, living every moment vicariously through them.
The other part of me has serious “FOMO.” That brotherhood, camaraderie and pride, I was missing it all.
Before the Confederations Cup, I felt very good about my position in the team. I felt like I would have played a big role in that tournament if it wasn’t for the injury. Then I felt like I had to start over.
The return
However, I used that summer as motivation. Once I recovered, the next opportunity I would have with the national team would be the friendly series at the end of February and March 2010. I knew I had to do everything in my power to make sure I was in that March camp.
I knew those games and training camp were going to be important. That was the last opportunity for Bob Bradley and his coaching staff to get a good look at us before the end of the club season.
The match I participated in was on March 3 in Amsterdam, when we lost 2-1 to the Netherlands. I came on at half-time in place of José Torres and spent 45 minutes in midfield alongside Michael Bradley, which is the job we were all competing for.
In that friendly against the Czechs I played 90 minutes of a 4-2 defeat and scored my only goal for the national team. At that point, there was nothing else I could do and I felt good about my position.
Maurice Edu celebrates his goal against the Czechs in a friendly prior to the 2010 World Cup. (Getty Images)
Still, I had missed a significant amount of time and some important matches between the Confederations Cup and the games in the fall of 2009. The value of playing in a tournament like that is that you get a series of matches. It’s a chance to establish himself and reinforce his value to the team over several games. While the club’s mid-season friendlies and knockouts are important, I always felt that a tournament was valuable because there are a series of matches and knockout matches that are even more important and tense.
When I finally made it back to national team camp in the spring of 2010, I knew it was time to get to work. I needed to put my head down and comply.
The decision
The day after that friendly was the most tense day. No more chances to make a good impression. The coaches have all the information they are going to get.
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 received a call on the phone in my room. I was told to go to a specific room downstairs. That was it, they didn’t give me any more information. There was no indication that I would receive positive or negative news upon my arrival.
That 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 defend a spot on the roster, but I was also prepared for whatever was going to happen. There was nothing else he could do at that moment.
I get to the room and there are some guys there. All of us thought, “Well, what’s going on?”
From there, more kids begin to arrive, and more behind them. You start to realize that you made it. Then other people started coming in and I was like, “Hey, wait a minute. I’m in the same room as this person. I’m in good company.” That was a huge moment of relief.
Striker Edson Buddle (left) and Maurice Edu train during preparation for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. (Getty Images)
After the team meeting about making the list, we immediately had the feeling that we wanted to talk to our brothers and teammates who were not going to be on the plane. While they weren’t going to be on the 23-man team, they were part of that team and brotherhood that got us to that point.
Being on the list was the culmination of so many years of work to achieve 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 couple of days later, we posted the roster on television, and then there was a lot more to do, including a trip to the White House.
Then we had to close again. We had a tournament to play. And what a tournament it was.
