Maryland Athletics 2021 Hall of Fame Spotlight: Maurice Edu

When the five Edu children would pile into the car and go to the local park, they did so filled with excitement because they got to play the game that their entire family loved, soccer. 

Maurice Edu Sr. and his wife, Molly, were both Nigerian immigrants who became schoolteachers here in the United States but never lost touch with their African roots. One of those cultural touchstones is soccer, and they realized very early on that their son, Maurice Jr., had a penchant for it. 

Maurice Edu was a smooth, confident midfielder who became one of the most coveted recruits in the entire country by the time he reached high school. Edu chose the Terps over powerhouse UCLA, and it sparked one of the greatest careers in Maryland athletics history.

Now, over 14 years later, Edu returns to College Park as a member of the 2021 class of the Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame. 

“Yeah, when I first heard the news that I was going into the Hall of Fame, I just smiled to myself,” Edu said. “Obviously, there was the excitement level. It is just incredible to go into the Hall of Fame.”

Edu’s adjustment to Maryland was not an easy one as just before he arrived at school, his father suffered a stroke that left him with slurred speech and difficulty walking. The elder Edu would survive, but it was difficult for his son to be away from him.

There would be days where Maurice would be homesick, missing his family, and missing spending time with his ailing father. It wasn’t until Edu’s mother convinced him that everything was okay and that he should focus on the game that both he and his dad loved.

“[My dad’s] involvement in terms of influence and things of that sort during those years was a little bit limited because of the severity of his stroke,” Edu said. “I was fortunate that the culture of the team with my teammates and coaches we had at the time really helped me.”

Ludwig Field became Edu’s sanctuary as it was the only place where he would truly feel at home and feel connected with his family, especially his father. 

After recovering from knee surgery, he would score a key goal against the Indiana Hoosiers in the national semi-finals to send the game into overtime. While the Terps came up short during that run, the seeds had been planted for something special.

The 2005 season for Maryland men’s soccer is one of legend as Edu and his teammates captured the school’s first national championship since 1968. The California native played a starring role as he had three goals and five assists on the year. Edu was named to the All-ACC second team for his efforts.

In his final season in College Park, Edu scored five goals and tallied four assists, earning himself first-team All-American honors and putting him firmly on the radar of Major League Soccer.

He was selected as the No. 1 pick in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft by Toronto FC, and in the subsequent year, he won MLS Rookie of the Year.

After a few seasons in Toronto, Edu moved on to the Scottish Premier League, where he was an integral part of three championship runs for the Rangers. Edu would then move to the English Premier League for Stoke City, Bursaspor in Turkey, before finally moving back stateside, where he suited up for the Philadelphia Union. 

During that time, Edu was also a fixture on the United States Men’s National Team, where he played in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Edu was a veteran in international play and saw 46 appearances for the USMNT, even making three appearances in the 2010 World Cup. 

“I never took anything for granted,” Edu said. “I was very, very lucky and privileged to get that opportunity. It came from hard work of course but there are so many players who still don't get that opportunity although they've achieved a level of success with their club teams and have gotten to a high level. The national team is always that thing that you're chasing that you want to be a part of.”

Overall, Edu’s impressive professional career would span over ten years, where he was a sports ambassador for major brands like Adidas, Puma, and Chipotle. 

Now retired from competition, you can still find Edu on your TV as he is now a television analyst for Fox Sports, CBS Sports, and the Major League Soccer team, Atlanta United. 

Edu also has the distinct accomplishment of being the cover athlete for the North American version of the FIFA ‘09 video game, making him just the second University of Maryland athlete to ever grace the cover of a video game, with the other being fellow Maryland Athletics Hall of Famer and basketball phenom, Juan Dixon. 

Going into the Hall of Fame means a lot to the former midfielder, for no bigger reason than the inspiration it gives to the future generation of Terp athletes. Edu is one of the key reasons why Maryland stars who proceeded him like Zack Steffen, Eryk Williamson, and Donovan Pines all suiting up for Team USA. 

“I hope in some way that I [helped pave the way for future stars],” Edu said. “You see guys like Zack who are incredible and he played at Maryland after me. I hope that I’m continuing to inspire and I think that a lot of that comes back to Sasho [Cirovski], right?.”

The class of 2021 is especially meaningful for Edu as his collegiate coach Sasho Cirvoski is a part of the same class. Cirovski was one of the driving forces behind why Edu committed to Maryland in the first place and sees their inductions together as a blessing and honor.

“[Sasho] built a program [at Maryland] for success," he said. "For players in their immediate present, but then also for the future. There's so many tools and traits and characteristics that you develop there that maybe you hadn't had before, but he is nurturing you and preparing you for success.”

Since his retirement, Edu has had to adjust to life after soccer, but he also had to overcome personal tragedy as his father passed away in November 2017. Maurice Sr. was his son’s youth coach and biggest supporter, known as ‘Big Mo,’ and his son known as ‘Lil Mo.’ 

While heartbroken that he’s gone, ‘Lil Mo’ is thankful for the 31 years he had with his father and for the person that his dad shaped him into. He’s also taking the lessons he learned from his father and applying them to his two-year-old son. 

“I love every moment of being a father and something I've always dreamt of becoming because of the relationship that I had with my own father and the role he played in my life and both on and off the pitch,” Edu said. “I look forward to having a similar if not even better relationship with my own son now.”

Edu came to Maryland as a star recruit with gobs of potential, and he now returns as one of American soccer’s greatest icons. Being inducted into the Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame is the validation of all the hard work and dedication it took, as well as all the sacrifice of being away from his family.

Maurice Edu is proud to call College Park home, now taking his rightful place in the pantheon of Maryland sports alongside fellow Terp legends.

“Going into the Hall of Fame, it's not just me, and it's not just our show, it's all of us,” he said. “It's all of us that were a part of those teams, and the memories that we created and hopefully the legacy that we left behind.”