Johnson Struggles on Long Road Back
Eddie Johnson’s year took a couple of unexpected turns this week.
On Tuesday, the 21-year-old striker for FC Dallas was traded to the Kansas City Wizards -- his first change of teams since turning professional and joining Major League Soccer in 2001.
Then Bruce Arena, the U.S. national team coach, announced that Johnson was back to full fitness and ready to challenge for a place at this summer’s World Cup. The Florida native has battled foot and calf injuries over the last year.
News that he is healthy came as something of a surprise. In the U.S. team’s three games so far this year, Johnson played only 25 minutes against Canada before picking up a calf injury, did not play at all against Norway, and played only 32 minutes against Japan.
“I think over the past week he’s finally physically and psychologically recovered from his turf toe injury, or however you want to describe that injury,” Arena said. “That has been an obstacle for Eddie for a good six months or so. That’s completely past him.
“He suffered an injury in the game against Canada that set him back a couple of weeks, but over the last week or so we’ve seen some of the form that Eddie’s had in the past.
“He’s looking much sharper on the ball and he’s much fitter, and because of that he’s confident. He still has that speed and that’s not going to change,” Arena said.
“I think over the next couple of months Eddie should be back in full form and be a player who is challenging, certainly, for a spot on the World Cup roster.”
If Johnson makes it, it would be an eye-opening feat for a player who has been on the field for the U.S. for only 90 minutes over the last 10 1/2 months and who has not scored a goal for his country since March 30.
The hope, of course, is that Johnson regains the form he showed in late 2004 and early 2005, when he scored eight goals in his first eight national team games -- none of them, admittedly, against the sort of opposition the U.S. will face in Germany.
Johnson’s first chance to show that he is back will be Sunday, when the U.S. plays Guatemala in a friendly international at Frisco, Texas. The match might also provide Johnson the opportunity to link up with his new strike partner, Josh Wolff, a Wizard forward and 2002 World Cup veteran.
Arena said the trade from Dallas to Kansas City should help Johnson.
“Having Eddie around some veteran leaders such as Josh Wolff, Kerry Zavagnin, Jimmy Conrad, specifically, I think is going to do nothing but good,” Arena said.
Going from Dallas to Kansas City is a switch from one Lamar Hunt-owned team to another, but it does put Johnson under the guidance of Bob Gansler, who coached the U.S. to the 1990 World Cup in Italy and knows what it will take for Johnson to reach Germany ’06 in June.
The league turned down a reported $4-million offer for Johnson from Benfica of Portugal in 2005.
All Kansas City had to give up to get Johnson were a couple of player allocations -- worth an estimated $350,000 -- owed to the Wizards by MLS for failing to make the playoffs in 2005 and to make up for the loss of retired playmaker Preki, now an assistant coach with Chivas USA.
Chances are, FC Dallas will use some or all of the allocation money to acquire a name player, and the name most frequently mentioned is that of Honduran international Amado Guevara, who no longer sees eye to eye with the MetroStars.
Having Guevara, the league’s 2004 most valuable player and co-leading scorer, link up with Guatemalan international striker Carlos Ruiz, Major League Soccer’s MVP in 2002 and top scorer in 2002 and 2003, would give FC Dallas a formidable attacking duo.
Ruiz, the former Galaxy striker, signed a new contract with Dallas last week that gave him a hefty raise and tied him to MLS for the next two to four years.
It was a costly investment for Dallas, and one that might have played into the decision to trade Johnson to Kansas City.
“We could have kept them both, but it would have been very, very difficult,” FC Dallas Coach Colin Clarke told MLSnet.com, referring to problems Dallas faced under the salary cap.
He also suggested that Johnson might not be sticking around MLS that much longer. “There’s a fair possibility that Eddie will not be in MLS in eight months time, sixth months time,” he said. “So that came into it.
“I believe his future lies abroad. I think Eddie wants to go. I’m sure he wants to go and test himself against the best, and I know there are clubs that are very, very interested in Eddie outside of MLS.”
For the Wizards, having Johnson will help them early in the MLS season, which starts April 1, and if he leaves, Kansas City is certain to recoup the allocation money it gave up to get him.
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Best foot forward
With Landon Donovan and DeMarcus Beasley likely to play withdrawn midfield roles, here are the top six candidates -- likely competing for four roster spots -- to play up front for the U.S. World Cup team this summer:
* Conor Casey, Mainz 05 (Germany) -- Big (at 6 feet 1), rugged and experienced in Germany, Casey looked like a good bet for the squad until tearing his ACL during last summer’s Gold Cup. He didn’t return to full practice with his club team until Jan. 26.
* Brian Ching, Houston 1836 -- Appeared on the fast track a year ago, appearing in six World Cup qualifiers and scoring twice but hasn’t shown
a lot in recent national team games. His MLS goal scoring dropped from 12 in 2004 to seven in 2005.
* Eddie Johnson, Kansas City Wizards -- A revelation in 2004, when he became the first player in U.S. history to score in each of his first four appearances, he has been hampered by injuries that limited him to only six of the national team’s 20 games last year. If healthy, he’s a likely starter in Germany.
* Brian McBride, Fulham (England) -- At 34, he only seems to be getting better, leading his English club team this season with nine goals. The strongest U.S. threat in the air, he’s a certain starter if healthy.
* Taylor Twellman, New England Revolution -- MLS’s leading scorer over the last four years with 64 goals, he had been unable to perform at the same level for the national team -- until scoring four goals with two assists in victories over Norway and Japan in the last three weeks.
* Josh Wolff, Kansas City Wizards -- Possessing speed and experience, with nine goals in 41 appearances for the U.S., he’s a likely choice for Germany. He also has World Cup experience, having assisted on McBride’s winning goal against Mexico in the second round of the 2002 Cup.
