From Bunnell to Seattle: Eddie Johnson is back

Palm Coast Observer
Opinion

Eddie Johnson took the ball on an outlet pass, exploded on his first step, and blew by several defenders before drilling home a goal as a teenager for the Flagler Palm Coast High School Bulldogs soccer team.

That is what he was known for: an explosive first step, speed, power.

Head and shoulders above the competition, Johnson left FPC as a sophomore and headed to Bradenton, where he enrolled at the IMG Academy Bollettieri. There, he did the opposite of what most teenagers do. His days were centered around soccer, with education coming after. He was a part of the U17 national team.

Bradenton is where it all started for Johnson. And, although he didn’t know it at the time, that’s where it was going revitalize his soccer career.

In 2001, Johnson became one of the youngest players to sign with Major League Soccer when he was taken in the second round of the MLS SuperDraft by the Dallas Burn. From 2001 to 2007, Johnson tallied 41 goals with two teams. Despite a lack of consistent goal scoring, Johnson made two appearances for the U.S. Men’s National team during the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

However, Johnson found his goal-scoring swagger in the 2007 MLS season when he tallied 12 goals and three assists in the first 11 games. On June 2, 2007, he became the first MLS player to ever score back-to-back hat tricks.

Back in form, Johnson was transferred to Fulham, of the English Premier League, on Jan. 17, 2008.

Over the next three years, however, Johnson would be loaned out to lower-level English and Greece teams.

After playing professional soccer for nearly 10 years, Johnson, then 27, was at a crossroads.

It was 2011, and he was done playing in Europe because he didn’t want to settle for a lower-level club. Back home in Flagler, he didn’t know what was next. All he wanted was to find the right coach, the right fit.

“In soccer, it’s not about what you’ve done in the past, it’s about what you’re doing now,” Johnson said Thursday in a phone interview.

For seven months, he searched for his next employer.

One day, he got a call from DaMarcus Beasley, a teammate on the U.S. Men’s national team. Beasley persuaded Johnson to come to Mexico and join him on Puebla FC.

Johnson eventually signed with the team, but not long after, the contract was discarded and Johnson was released. His search continued.

“It was good and bad because for four months, I didn’t have to listen to someone telling me what to do, and I was doing my own thing,” Johnson said. “Then reality started kicking in, and I realized I really missed soccer.”

That’s when Johnson got a call from his sports psychologist from Bradenton during his teenage years. Get back to work, the psychologist told Johnson.

The striker listened. He headed back to South Florida — where it all started. He trained with the U17 national team on some days. On others, he trained with college football players who were preparing for the upcoming NFL draft.

Johnson was rejuvenated, re-energized.

Finally, Johnson signed with MLS on Feb. 17, 2012, and was selected the next day by the Montreal Impact via the allocation process. He was then immediately traded to Seattle Sounders FC.

Earlier this year, he scored the game-winning goal in the MLS All-Star game, leading the team past Chelsea of the English Premier League, 3-2.

Years removed from making jaw-dropping plays in front of small crowds at FPC, Johnson is now scoring goals in front of 40,000 screaming Seattle Sounders FC fanatics.

Through 26 games this season, Johnson is tied for the team lead and ranked fourth in the league with 11 goals. Thanks to his offensive production, Seattle is just two points from the top of the Western Conference table.

At 28, Eddie Johnson is back.

“Right now, I feel like I was when I was 21 years old,” he said. “From a mental standpoint ... one of my individual goals is to become a more consistent goal scorer and not be streaky,” he said.

After missing the 2010 World Cup, Johnson said continuing to score goals is what will get him back on the radar for the U.S. Men’s National Team.

“If I said 2014 (World Cup) wasn’t a goal, I’d be lying,” he said. “I think to be wearing that U.S. jersey is such an honor and humbling experience. It’s one of the best experiences of my life.”

More than 3,000 miles away from his small hometown of Bunnell, Johnson admits he does miss home. He misses friends and family. People he can trust.

He also misses the hamburgers and fish sandwiches of the Bantam Chef — a culinary staple in Bunnell.

But for now, Johnson plans on staying hungry for something else: goals. And lots of them.

Because if he can continue on the track he’s on, perhaps he will be donning the red, white and blue in two years.

To see a Nike soccer video that was shot in Bunnell, go here. Follow Associate Editor Andrew O'Brien on Twitter @aobrien7.