“January Camp was my first chance to really be in front of the coaches on a daily basis,” Edu told ussoccer.com. “As a young player sometimes going into camp can be very difficult. You only have a few days leading up to the game to catch the eye of the coaches to justify them bringing you in and to earn playing time. For some players it can take a few days, maybe a week to feel comfortable and be able to express themselves and show the quality they have.”
“When you’re under the guidance of the coaches for three or four weeks, you have that time to come out of that shell on and off the pitch as well. Coaches are also looking at your personality and seeing how you fit in the group, what you bring to the locker room – those things that you don’t feel all that comfortable expressing until you get familiar with the guys around you.”
Just 21 at the time and age-eligible for the 2008 Summer Olympics, Edu joined the likes of Michael Bradley, Benny Feilhaber, and Jozy Altidore in the block of players who were working their way into the USMNT while also making up the core of the U-23 side that would look to qualify for Beijing.
“In my mind, the next big tournament coming up was the Olympics. That was huge and I definitely wanted to be on that team. I had ambitions to go to Europe, and I knew playing an international tournament could open the door to more opportunities. I wanted to use it to show my quality on and off the field. I knew going to Olympic camp that I wanted to assert my leadership there too. I wanted to make sure the coaches knew that I was one of the guys that could be vocal within the group, be a leader on and off the pitch.”
