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| years = 2001-2006<br>2006- | years = 2001-2006<br>2006-
| clubs = ]<br>] | clubs = ]<br>]
| caps(goals) = 84 (24)<br>37 (16) | caps(goals) = 84 (24)<br>40 (17)
| nationalyears = 2004- | nationalyears = 2004-
| nationalteam = ] | nationalteam = ]

Revision as of 17:28, 28 September 2007

For other people named Edward Johnson, see Edward Johnson (disambiguation).
Eddie Johnson
Personal information
Full name Edward Johnson
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team Kansas City Wizards
Number 7
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22 August 2007

Edward "Eddie" Johnson (born 31 March 1984 in Bunnell, FL, United States) is an American soccer striker. He currently plays for Kansas City Wizards in the Major League Soccer league, and represented the United States in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Career

Already an established player on the US Under-17 team and having trained at the Bradenton Academy, Johnson became one of the youngest players to sign with MLS, and was drafted by Dallas Burn as a Project-40 player in the second round of the 2001 MLS SuperDraft. In his first three years in the league, he did not get much playing time, and was very inconsistent when he did get on the field. Johnson scored just seven goals for Dallas in those seasons, while missing a lot of time with US youth national teams.

Johnson came into his own at the end of 2003 at the FIFA World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates. He scored four goals (three from the penalty spot) and notched one assist to win the tournament's Golden Shoe as the top scorer. He translated the success at the world stage to MLS (a change in Dallas' coach likely helped too), as in 2004 he scored more goals than in his first three seasons combined: 12, to co-lead (with Brian Ching) the league in that department, becoming the youngest player to achieve that feat in MLS history.

Johnson received his first cap and scored his first goal for the senior US national team against El Salvador on 9 October 2004, becoming one of a small group of American players to get his first international goal in a World Cup qualifier. He then scored a hat-trick in his second appearance, all in a 17-minute span against Panama, just four days later. Johnson totaled seven goals in his first six World Cup qualifiers (and is already third on the US all-time scoring list in World Cup qualifiers), earning himself limited playing time during the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

In January 2005, S.L. Benfica, the most popular club in Portugal, offered a record $5 million transfer fee for Johnson, but MLS rejected the offer.

In May 2005, Johnson suffered an injury to the toes of his right foot that sidelined him until August of that year. After returning to MLS in August (he scored only five goals during the season), and making a brief re-appearance with the national team on 7 September 2005, Johnson reinjured his toes in mid-September and was sidelined until January 2006. With Dallas in salary cap trouble, Johnson was traded to the Kansas City Wizards on 14 February 2006 for two allocations.

In August 2006, MLS had reached an agreement with Spanish club Real Sociedad for a year-long loan but the plan fell through because the new ownership of the Wizards were not happy with sending Johnson. The loan would have made Johnson the second American outfield player and third American overall to play in La Liga, following goalkeeper Kasey Keller and midfielder Tab Ramos.

In November 2006 it was announced that Johnson would be training with English Premier League club Reading during the MLS close season.

In 2006 and early 2007, Johnson suffered a decline in form, scoring only twice in the 2006 MLS season and failing to make an impact with the national team. However Johnson returned to form with the start of the 2007 MLS season, notching twelve goals and three assists in his first eleven games. On June 2, 2007, Johnson became the first player ever to score back to back hat-tricks in MLS play. He scored three goals against the New York Red Bulls, following a three goal performance against the New England Revolution on May 26, 2007.

In the month of July 2007, Johnson saw increased speculation over a transfer to the English Premier League. Derby County has been most vocal, with Derby manager Billy Davies confirming that he would explore the US market. However after MLS accepted a $6 million bid from Derby, Johnson reportedly nixed the deal as he preferred to finish his season in Kansas City. Johnson revealed his contract is structured to give him final say over whether he is purchased by 15 designated clubs. According to news reports, the U.S. international has also seen interest from Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Reading, Celtic, Benfica and Real Sociedad.

International Goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 2004-10-10 San Salvador, El Salvador  El Salvador 2-0 2-0 WCQ
2 2004-10-13 Washington, D.C.  Panama 3-0 6-0 WCQ
3 2004-10-13 Washington, D.C.  Panama 4-0 6-0 WCQ
4 2004-10-13 Washington, D.C.  Panama 5-0 6-0 WCQ
5 2004-11-17 Columbus, Ohio  Jamaica 1-0 1-1 WCQ
6 2005-02-09 Port-of-Spain, Trinidad  Trinidad and Tobago 1-0 2-1 WCQ
7 2005-03-19 Albuquerque, New Mexico  Honduras 1-0 1-0 Friendly match
8 2005-03-30 Birmingham, Alabama  Guatemala 1-0 2-0 WCQ
9 2006-02-09 Frisco, Texas  Guatemala 3-0 4-0 Friendly match
10 2007-06-09 Carson, California  Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 2-0 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup
11 2007-06-28 Maracaibo, Venezuela  Argentina 1-0 1-4 2007 Copa America

See also

References

  1. "Ismail Matar best player, Ed Johnson top scorer". FIFA. 2003-12-19. Retrieved 2006-12-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. "Major League Soccer:History:Archive". MLS. 2004-11-18. Retrieved 2006-12-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. "Eddie Johnson sticking with MLS". USA Today. 2005-03-11. Retrieved 2007-07-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. "Wizards Trade for U.S. Star Eddie Johnson". US Soccer Players - The Official Site of the USNSTPA. 2006-02-14. Retrieved 2006-12-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. "Wizards' watershed week". Sports Illustrated. 2006-09-01. Retrieved 2006-11-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. "USA striker Johnson set to visit Reading". readingfc.co.uk. 2006-11-16. Retrieved 2006-11-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. "Rams in chase for USA Striker". Rivals DM. 2007-07-13. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
  8. "Eddie Johnson Transfer News". SoccerBuzz. 2007-07-17. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  9. "Johnson spurns switch to Rams". Teamtalk.com. 2007-07-25. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  10. "English team has interest in Wizards' Eddie Johnson". The Kansas City Star. 2007-07-12. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  11. "English team has interest in Wizards' Eddie Johnson". The Derby Evening Telegraph. 2007-07-12. Retrieved 2007-08-04. {{cite news}}: Text "0" ignored (help); Text "0" ignored (help); Text "0" ignored (help); Text "2185366269754" ignored (help); Text "2185366269754" ignored (help); Text "536" ignored (help); Text "536" ignored (help); Text "R" ignored (help); Text "p" ignored (help)

External links

Sporting Kansas City – current squad
United States squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup
United States
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