Maurice Edu Headlines EA Sports' FIFA '09

In the aftermath of Team USA's 6-1 thrashing of Cuba in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday night, I couldn't help but feel like there was one thing missing -- and that was the presence on the field of one of the future stars of the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team, Maurice Edu. With Edu now playing with Glasgow Rangers of the Scottish Premier League, fans in North America just don't get enough chances to see him play.

Unless of course you pick up the video game FIFA '09 from EA Sports. Edu is such a big star these days that he earned himself a place on the cover next to Ronaldinho of AC Milan and Guillermo Ochoa of Mexico's Club America. Edu is pictured here wearing the kit of Toronto FC, the club he played with in MLS, but the cover will depict him wearing his U.S. Men's National Team kit.

"It's funny, I've been playing the game since I was a kid with my brother, so it's something you dream about ... I want to be on this game, I want to be in this game one day. And to be on the cover is an unbelievable achievement," said Edu.

As it turns out, Edu isn't the only gamer on the U.S. Men's National Team. Sacha Kljestan told me last week that he's been playing the game since the FIFA '94 edition, and still has great battles with his brother when they get together.

When you get ahold of FIFA '09, the Maurice Edu you get in the game will be as authentic as it gets. You see, Edu is one of the few athletes -- along with Wayne Rooney, Ronaldinho and Miroslav Klose -- who have gone into the EA studios and donned a spandex/neoprene suit decked out with sensors placed on every joint in his body.

You can check out Edu's visit to EA Studios in the following video:



Full Disclosure: It was EA Sports who gave us access to Edu and Kljestan last week, access that allowed us to bring you this post ahead of Saturday's World Cup qualifier.