Beasley Setback Balanced by Edu Return

DaMarcus Beasley has been the subject of much praise and speculation over the last month, and for good reason. His fantastic run of form with Rangers has brought him back into the starting XI for the Glasgow club, while also vaulting him back into the national team conversation. Many have speculated, myself included, that a healthy Beasley getting consistent minutes at Rangers could very well find himself in South Africa come June. The big qualifier in all of that, though, was that Beasley, who has struggled with injury for the better part of two years now, remains healthy for the upcoming stretch run.

Unfortunately, that was not the case today, as Beasley suffered a quad injury in training yesterday that kept him out of the matchday squad against Hibernian and will likely keep him out for a couple weeks. Though Beasley seems optimistic about the severity (or lack thereof) of the injury, it's an unfortunate blow nonetheless. He cannot afford any extended absences if he wants to keep his World Cup hopes alive, or if he just wants to maintain his role with Rangers. Manager Walter Smith did assure Beasley of playing time earlier this month, but only if the winger is fully healthy, so it's imperative that Beasley recover well and do his best avoid nagging injuries in the second half of the season.

There was a silver lining for USMNT fans, however, in Rangers' 4-1 victory this morning, and that was the return of Maurice Edu. Edu, who is coming off of several months on the sidelines due to a knee injury, entered the match in the 74th minute with the result secure. Originally, it was believed that the January 3rd match against Celtic would be Edu's return date, but the former Toronto FC star came back a little earlier than anticipated. Edu has been training for almost all of December, so his fitness level might even permit a start in the Old Firm match if Smith has holes in the midfield due to injury or suspension.

In the coming months, Edu will look to reassert himself in the Rangers starting lineup, while simultaneously trying to catch the eye of Bob Bradley. With Jermaine Jones' continuing injury saga and Ricardo Clark's winter move possibly impacting his playing time, Edu could very well push himself into the final 23 for South Africa with an impressive finish to the season. That being said, he first must worry about cracking a solid Rangers lineup before he can think about catching up to Clark.

Nevertheless, if Edu can replicate the form he showed in Rangers' championship run last spring, he will make a strong case for inclusion in Bob Bradley's World Cup roster.

Edu will try to earn some more playing time in Rangers' next match, as the league leaders play host to Dundee United this Wednesday.