TUCSON, Ariz. – I had a few minutes to chat with Eddie Johnson yesterday at the Kino Sports Complex, where the ongoing Desert Diamond Cup approaches its second day of matches Saturday.
We had a good chat about U.S. national team matters and about his place with the Seattle Sounders. Remember, at this time last year the man’s career was seriously on the skids; we might have all reasonably concluded that Johnson’s time as a pro was kaput before that profound career resurrection in Seattle. We talked about some times back in the day; I first covered Johnson when he was 17 years old, the youngest every to score in MLS at the time.
As we chatted, Johnson kept saying things like “at my age” and “as an older player.” Meanwhile I’m thinking, “He’s 28!”
So I teased him about being an “old man” and how I was older than 28 when I first got to know him. (If I was already an old man then, and he’s an old man now … I don’t want to think about what that makes me today!)
But then I thought about it a second. Johnson (his MLS career stats are here) scored his first goal in 2001. If we started looking around for MLS men still passing and trapping who scored pre 9/11 goals, it’s going to be a mighty short list.
Johnson is entering his 13th professional season. His career has now wandered through four countries. (Five if you include last year’s failed trial in Mexico.) The guy does have a lot of wear on the tires. So many talented players cannot squeeze 12 or more years from their professional career.
So as he talks about his goals for 2013, there’s a healthy base of knowledge helping to create those targets.
Johnson stopped short of saying he would score 20 goals this year – which is a pretty shrewd way to say it. He wants 20 goals, and he truly appreciates how much faith Sigi Schmid and the Sounders have placed in him by loaning out Fredy Montero, entrusting that Johnson, a young strike partner and that stacked-and-packed Sounders midfield can provide goals in ample supply.
“I just want to do better than I did last year. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to score 20 goals,” Johnson said. “I feel like, with the players around me, the environment I’m in week-in and week-out, and most importantly staying healthy … I think 20 goals is doable. But it’s not going to be easy.”
Johnson went on to talk about an ever-improving league, about how different clubs approach matches and how that all ties into the difficulty of scoring 20 goals over a season.
All the marks of a man who has seen a lot over his long career.
