Eddie Johnson (American soccer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Eddie Johnson

Johnson playing for Seattle Sounders FC in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Edward Abraham Johnson
Date of birth	(1984-03-31) March 31, 1984 (age 41)
Place of birth	Bunnell, Florida, United States
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
2000–2001	IMG Soccer Academy
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2001–2005	FC Dallas	84	(24)
2006–2007	Kansas City Wizards	43	(17)
2008–2011	Fulham	19	(0)
2008–2009	→ Cardiff City (loan)	30	(2)
2010	→ Aris (loan)	14	(5)
2011	→ Preston North End (loan)	16	(0)
2012–2013	Seattle Sounders FC	49	(23)
2014–2015	D.C. United	26	(7)
Total		281	(78)
International career
2000–2001	United States U17	25	(23)
2002–2003	United States U20	21	(6)
2003–2004	United States U23	7	(2)
2004–2014	United States	63	(19)
Medal record Representing  United States Winner CONCACAF Gold Cup 2007 Winner CONCACAF Gold Cup 2013 Men's Soccer
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Edward Abraham Johnson (born March 31, 1984) is a former American soccer player. He played most of his fourteen-year career in the U.S. with teams like FC Dallas, the Kansas City Wizards, Seattle Sounders FC, and D.C. United. Johnson also spent about three and a half years playing for different clubs in Europe.

Johnson also played for the United States men's national soccer team from 2004 to 2014. He was part of the U.S. team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. When he retired, Johnson was ranked eighth for goals scored for the U.S. national team, with 19 goals.

Eddie Johnson's Soccer Journey

Starting Young: Youth Career

Eddie Johnson was one of the youngest players to join Major League Soccer (MLS). He was chosen by Dallas Burn in the 2001 MLS SuperDraft. In his first three years, he didn't play much. He also missed games while playing for U.S. youth national teams. During these seasons, he scored only seven goals for Dallas.

In January 2005, a team called Benfica offered a large amount of money, $5 million, to buy Johnson. This would have been a record for MLS. However, both Johnson and the league decided not to accept the offer.

In May 2005, Johnson hurt his right foot and couldn't play until August. After returning to MLS, he scored only five goals that season. He then re-injured his foot in September and was out until January 2006.

Playing for Kansas City

On February 14, 2006, Johnson was traded to the Kansas City Wizards. This happened because Dallas had issues with their team's salary limits.

In 2006 and early 2007, Johnson's performance wasn't as strong. He scored only two goals in the 2006 MLS season. However, he got back in form at the start of the 2007 MLS season. He scored twelve goals and made three assists in his first eleven games. On June 2, 2007, Johnson made history. He became the first player to score three goals in two games in a row in MLS. He scored three goals against the New York Red Bulls after doing the same against the New England Revolution the week before.

Moving to England: Fulham

Eddie Johnson warming up for Fulham

In July 2007, there was a lot of talk about Johnson moving to the Premier League in England. Derby County was very interested and offered $6 million. But Johnson decided not to take the deal. He wanted to finish his season in Kansas City. He had a special part in his contract that let him decide if he would be bought by certain clubs.

Johnson left the U.S. national team camp on January 17, 2008. He officially moved to Fulham on January 23, 2008. He signed a contract that lasted until the summer of 2011.

Loan to Cardiff City

Eddie Johnson as a player of Cardiff City

In August 2008, Johnson joined Cardiff City on loan for the 2008–09 season. This team plays in the Football League Championship. He played his first game for Cardiff City in a 2–1 win against Milton Keynes Dons. He found it hard to score goals like he did in MLS.

However, he started to play better as the season went on. On March 7, 2009, he scored his first goal in English soccer. This was in a 3–0 win against Doncaster Rovers. Four days later, Johnson was named "man of the match" for his great play in Cardiff's 3–1 win over Barnsley. A month later, he scored his second goal of the season against Derby County. This goal also made him the last Cardiff City player to score under the lights at Ninian Park.

Johnson went back to Fulham for the 2009–10 season. He played in most of Fulham's practice games before the season started.

Playing in Greece: Aris Loan

On December 31, 2009, Johnson joined the Greek team Aris Thessaloniki on loan. He played there for the rest of the 2009–10 season. On January 13, 2010, Johnson played his first game for Aris. He came in as a substitute in a 2–0 win. He scored two goals in a playoff win against Olympiacos. Johnson scored five goals for Aris and was one of the top scorers in the Greek Super League Playoff.

Loan to Preston

On January 31, 2011, Johnson was loaned to Preston North End, another team in the Championship league. He scored his first goal against Reading.

In December 2011, it was announced that Johnson had signed with a Mexican team, Puebla. But he never officially signed a contract. He left the team after a few practices because the coach and staff had different ideas.

Returning to MLS: Seattle Sounders FC

Johnson signed with MLS again on February 17, 2012. The next day, Montreal Impact chose him. But he was immediately traded to Seattle Sounders FC. In return, Seattle sent two other players to Montreal.

He scored his first two goals for the Sounders against the Chicago Fire and the LA Galaxy. He was chosen for the 2012 MLS All-Star Team. He scored the winning goal against Chelsea in a 3–2 victory. During the 2012 season, Johnson was named MLS Player of the Week twice.

Johnson was the top scorer for the Sounders in the 2012 MLS season, with 14 goals. He finished sixth in the league's Golden Boot race. Nine of his 14 goals were scored with his head, which was the most in MLS.

Because of his great performance, Johnson was named "Comeback Player of the Year" in MLS for 2012. This was the second time he received this award. He also won it in 2007 when he played for Kansas City.

Johnson scored the winning goal for the Sounders against Tigres de la UANL in the 2013 CONCACAF Champions League. This goal helped the Sounders move on to the semi-finals. With this win, the Sounders became the first MLS team to beat a Mexican club in the CONCACAF Champions League.

Towards the end of the 2013 MLS season, Johnson asked for a better contract. Seattle couldn't offer this due to salary rules. So, Johnson was released from the team.

Playing for D.C. United

On December 17, 2013, Johnson was traded to D.C. United. On May 17, 2014, he scored his first goal for D.C. United against the Montreal Impact.

In March 2015, after being on medical leave, it was reported that Johnson might need to retire. This was due to a heart condition. On November 1, 2015, Johnson officially announced his retirement because of this heart ailment.

Playing for the U.S. National Team

Johnson training with the United States national team

Johnson had a lot of success playing for the U-17 national team. He scored 23 goals in 25 games and was the top scorer in both 2000 and 2001. He continued this success with the U-20 team. In 2003, at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship, he scored four goals and had one assist. He won the tournament's Golden Shoe award as the top scorer.

Johnson played his first game and scored his first goal for the senior United States team on October 9, 2004, against El Salvador. This was a World Cup qualifying game. He then scored three goals in his second game, just four days later, against Panama. On March 30, 2005, Johnson scored the winning goal in another qualifying match against Guatemala. He scored seven goals in his first six World Cup qualifying games. This placed him third on the U.S. all-time scoring list for World Cup qualifiers.

Johnson playing for the United States against Belgium in May 2013

Johnson played in two games at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He also played in the 2007 Copa América and the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup. In the U.S.'s first Copa América game against Argentina, he earned and then scored a penalty kick.

On May 11, 2010, Johnson was named to the U.S. team for the pre-2010 FIFA World Cup training. However, he was not chosen for the final team that went to South Africa.

Johnson returned to the U.S. team for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. He scored both goals in a 2–1 win over Antigua and Barbuda. The winning goal came in the 90th minute. He also helped set up Clint Dempsey's winning goal against Guatemala.

Johnson scored the second goal for the United States against Panama on June 11, 2013. This was during a World Cup Qualifying match in Seattle, Washington. The goal was scored at CenturyLink Field, which is the home stadium for his club team, Seattle Sounders FC. Johnson said it was "a dream come true" to score in front of his home fans. Johnson also scored the winning goal against Mexico in Columbus. This goal helped the USMNT team qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Life After Playing Soccer

Eddie Johnson is now working to get his USSF A license, which is a high-level coaching certification. He has also coached younger American players, like Christian Pulisic.

Personal Life

Johnson became a Christian when he was 18 years old. He has talked about his faith, saying it helped him think positively and become more patient. He believes that God showed him how to make the most of his life.

When he was growing up, Johnson's favorite player was Romário. He watched him play when he was nine years old and saw the 1994 World Cup in America. Johnson supports the English soccer club Manchester United.

Career Statistics

Club Performance

International Goals

International appearances and goals
#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Result†	Competition	Goal
2004
1	October 9	Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador	El Salvador	2–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification	1 (1)
2	October 13	RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C., United States	Panama	6–0		3 (4)
3	November 17	Columbus Crew Stadium, Columbus, United States	Jamaica	1–1		1 (5)
2005
4	February 9	Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Trinidad and Tobago	2–1	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification	1 (6)
5	March 9	Titan Stadium, Fullerton, United States	Colombia	3–0	Friendly
6	March 19	University Stadium, Albuquerque, United States	Honduras	1–0		1 (7)
7	March 27	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico	Mexico	1–2	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
8	March 30	Legion Field, Birmingham, United States	Guatemala	2–0		1 (8)
9	September 7	Estadio Mateo Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala		0–0
2006
10	January 22	Torero Stadium, San Diego, United States	Canada	0–0	Friendly
11	February 10	AT&T Park, San Francisco, United States	Japan	3–2
12	February 19	Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, United States	Guatemala	4–0		1 (9)
13	March 1	Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern, Germany	Poland	1–0
14	March 22	Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany	Germany	1–4
15	April 11	SAS Soccer Park, Cary, United States	Jamaica	1–1
16	May 23	Nashville Coliseum, Nashville, United States	Morocco	0–1
17	May 26	Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, United States	Venezuela	2–0
18	May 28	Rentschler Field, East Hartford, United States	Latvia	1–0
19	June 12	Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen, Germany	Czech Republic	0–3	2006 FIFA World Cup
20	June 22	FIFA WM-Stadion Nürnberg, Nürnberg, Germany	Ghana	1–2
2007
21	January 20	Home Depot Center, Carson, United States	Denmark	3–1	Friendly
22	February 7	University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, United States	Mexico	2–0
23	March 25	Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, United States	Ecuador	3–1
24	March 28	Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, United States	Guatemala	0–0
25	June 7	Home Depot Center, Carson, United States		1–0	2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup
26	June 9		Trinidad and Tobago	2–0		1 (10)
27	June 21	Soldier Field, Chicago, United States	Canada	2–1
28	June 28	Estadio José Pachencho Romero, Maracaibo, Venezuela	Argentina	1–4	2007 Copa América	1 (11)
29	July 2	Estadio Agustín Tovar, Barinas, Venezuela	Paraguay	1–3
30	July 5	Estadio Metropolitano de Lara, Barquisimeto, Venezuela	Colombia	0–1
31	September 9	Soldier Field, Chicago, United States	Brazil	2–4	Friendly
2008
32	March 26	Wisla Stadium, Kraków, Poland	Poland	3–0	Friendly
33	May 28	Wembley Stadium, London, England	England	0–2
34	June 4	El Sardinero, Santander, Spain	Spain	0–1
35	June 7	Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, United States	Argentina	0–0
36	June 14	Home Depot Center, Carson, United States	Barbados	8–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification	1 (12)
37	September 10	Toyota Park, Bridgeview, United States	Trinidad and Tobago	3–0
2009
38	November 14	Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Slovakia	Slovakia	0–1	Friendly
39	November 18	NRGi Park, Aarhus, Denmark	Denmark	1–3
2010
40	March 3	Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Netherlands	1–2	Friendly
41	May 25	Rentschler Field, East Hartford, United States	Czech Republic	2–4
42	October 12	PPL Park, Chester, United States	Colombia	0–0
2012
43	October 13	Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda	Antigua and Barbuda	2–1	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification	2 (14)
44	October 16	Livestrong Sporting Park, Kansas City, United States	Guatemala	3–1
2013
45	January 29	BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, United States	Canada	0–0	Friendly
46	February 6	Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras	Honduras	1–2	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
47	March 22	Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, United States	Costa Rica	1–0
48	March 26	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico	Mexico	0–0
49	May 29	FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, United States	Belgium	2–4	Friendly
50	June 2	RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C., United States	Germany	4–3
51	June 7	Independence Park, Kingston, Jamaica	Jamaica	2–1	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
52	June 11	CenturyLink Field, Seattle, United States	Panama	2–0		1 (15)
53	June 18	Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, United States	Honduras	1–0
54	July 21	M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, United States	El Salvador	5–1	2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup	1 (16)
55	July 24	Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, United States	Honduras	3–1		1 (17)
56	July 28	Soldier Field, Chicago, United States	Panama	1–0	2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final
57	August 14	Asim Ferhatović Hase Stadium, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina	Bosnia and Herzegovina	4–3	Friendly	1 (18)
58	September 6	Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica	Costa Rica	1–3	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
59	September 10	Columbus Crew Stadium, Columbus, United States	Mexico	2–0		1 (19)
60	November 15	Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland	Scotland	0–0	Friendly
61	November 19	Ernst Happel Stadium, Vienna, Austria	Austria	0–1
2014
62	February 1	StubHub Center, Carson, United States	South Korea	2–0	Friendly
63	April 2	University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, United States	Mexico	2–2
†United States' goal tally first.

Awards and Achievements

United States

• CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2007, 2013

Individual Awards

• MLS Comeback Player of the Year: 2007, 2012
• FIFA World Youth Championship Golden Boot: 2003

See also

In Spanish: Eddie Johnson (futbolista) para niños