Eddie Johnson is ducking his way out of his MLS deal. (Getty Image)

Just as quickly as Major League Soccer announced that they had signed striker Eddie Johnson, the deal looks to be in jeopardy. If you look at the league’s website the article announcing the deal is also gone. Here’s why:

Steve Goff is reporting this morning that Johnson is having second thoughts about signing with the league and is asking for more money. Only one team was said to be okay with the salary figured that were asked for too.

Only one #MLS team had agreed to take him at negotiated deal, and he's walking away from it. "Unlikely" he signs with league, I'm told

August 17, 2011 8:26 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@SoccerInsider

Steven Goff

Johnson balked at a three-year deal that would have started off with a pro-rated year of $175,000 and gone up to $275,000 by 2013.

Johnson, who is currently out of contract, can continue to look for a new deal in Europe. He could still end up in MLS as the roster freeze deadline in the league isn’t until September 15.

Eddie Johnson is back in MLS! (Getty Images)

There isn’t a whole lot to report here yet. Eddie Johnson is back in Major League Soccer, the league announced the signing today during a press conference to talk about the new amendment to the Designated Player rule.

Johnson will be allocated to a team on Thursday.

For those wondering who has the first crack at Johnson, check out the most recent allocation order that I posted last week. Chivas USA has the first crack at him but the way things have gone this season, they will likely pass on Johnson.

My best guess is either Chicago or Seattle ending up with him. The Dynamo recently signed Carlo Costly so them taking a striker makes little sense today.Toronto is loaded now up top and Sporting KC is as well. That leaves Seattle and Chicago (and Columbus as a distant third choice).

If Chivas is smart they take Johnson and trade him away to a club that could use him. They need the extra allocation anyways to sign Juan Pablo Angel (a deal that should be announced today or sometime this week).

I’ll have more on this later this week when Johnson is allocated to a club.

Eddie Johnson during one of his few happier times with Fulham, celebrating with fellow American Clint Dempsey. (Getty Images)

All I can say is it is about time for the Grown Ass Man to return to MLS. Goal.com had a post about US Men’s National team forward Eddie Johnson saying he would consider returning to MLS.

His agent Richard Motzkin said EJ is looking at his options all over Europe and in America.

“Eddie is taking some time off after the season to get in the right frame of mind when making this decision,” Motzkin told Goal.com. “We are speaking to various clubs around the world that have expressed their interest and he wants to make sure that he makes the right choice.”

Motzkin says that Johnson would be open to rejoining MLS if the opportunity fit what he was looking for. Motzkin, however, claims that Johnson still has an option to play in Europe as offers from Scandinavia to Germany have materialized.

Obviously MLS would be a good choice for him as it would help get him the proper playing time that he needs here. If he wants to stay in the national team picture, he needs playing time. Look at what Charlie Davies has been able to do in his season with D.C. United. While Davies situation is a bit different than Johnson’s, it does show that he should be back in the national team picture before long with the way things are going.

Getting back into MLS will be a tricky thing with EJ. He’ll want a big contract, similar to one of a DP. Before he left for Fulham from MLS he did have a fairly large contract at the time in the league and one that would have been grandfathered into the DP role had he stuck it out here (I recall him making around $600k or so in his last season in MLS).

Teams like Philadelphia, Chivas, Houston and Toronto would all love to see him return without the DP tag. I say this because they’d have a crack at him through the league’s allocation process, Chivas being the top team. If he goes the DP route he’ll have more of a say in where he goes. The thing is, you have to wonder exactly how many clubs would be willing to use a DP slot on a guy like EJ.

I still stand by my comments a while back saying that he needs to return to MLS. I could see him go to a Chicago or even a Houston if he returns as a DP. Both have the money and possibly the cap space to make a move if they decide to. Plus, both could use speed up front to help get their offenses going. I know the article also mentions Seattle as a possible landing spot in that route but I don’t buy that notion. Just because Seattle has money, it doesn’t mean they’d go for someone like EJ. I can’t see EJ fitting in well under Sigi Schmid.

So if EJ does come back, where do you want him to land? Also, do you think he is DP worthy?

I came across an article on MLSSoccer.com earlier this morning and really thought it was worth discussing. The article is about former MLSers and other Americans/Canadians abroad that should return home to play in MLS. I can’t say I disagree with many on this list and I have a couple more that probably just need to suck it up and return home so they can actually see some playing time on the field.

We know its tough for a young player to head to Europe when they get the big contract. For some it works out. You have a decent group of Americans now in Europe that see playing time on a consistent basis but others struggle. I think Stuart Holden put it well recently in an interview (sorry couldn’t find the link). He said that MLS set him nicely for a move to Europe. Had he gone straight away and not gotten a few years experience in MLS first he would be struggling to see any sort of playing time because the adjustment is so tough for younger players.

For some of these guys below the adjustment was either due to them going to Europe at the wrong time in their career, coaching changes…or constant coaching changes, injuries or whatever.

One of the biggest obstacles in getting any number of these guys back in a MLS uniform is money. Most of these guys have earned more in Europe and will expect to that much here in MLS. Well, that probably won’t happen.

I’ll give you the five mentioned in the article and a few others worth discussing as well.

Eddie Johnson – I’ve thought for a while he needed to return to MLS. He’s been with Fulham since he left MLS a couple years ago. The Grown-Ass Man has seen loan spells to two other clubs that yielded some playing time for him. His contract runs out with Fulham next summer which would be the perfect time for a MLS team to make a pitch to him. He can still score and grabbing a guy like him for a late season push could be the difference in winning a MLS Cup and not reaching the playoffs.

Benny Feilhaber – He’s still very young but I’ve thought for ages he should give MLS a shot. His contract ends in the summer as well and he would be a big upgrade for anyone’s midfield. He may be just entering his prime but maybe a trip back home could help get his career back on track after a couple slowish seasons.

Carlos Bocanegra – This is more of those he’s done plenty and now its time to come home for a couple seasons before he hangs it up. I kind of doubt he’ll come just yet but maybe in a year or so he’ll give it a shot. He’s a natural leader that could really help a number of clubs in the back.

Rob Friend – I had to do a little more studying up on this guy. He’s Canadian and would obviously be a draw to Vancouver or Toronto (or even Montreal). He’s 30 but probably would be an instant upgrade on offense for TFC should he ever make the treck back home to the great white north.

Eddy Sidra – Not a common name for some MLS fans. He’s still very young and would be a nice defensive addition for either Canadian side. The article mentions he’s a free agent at the moment so why not make a play for the young defender?

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A few others worth throwing out there:

Freddy Adu – It won’t happen probably due to him and his agent being stubborn about where plays but he’d actually find playing time if he came back to MLS. I’d imagine the expectations would still be places on him if he did which could keep him from ever returning back here.

Frank Simek – He may have just signed a two year deal with Carlisle United so he could be a couple years away from considering it unless he helps them reach the EPL next year (unlikely at the moment it seems).

Mike Grella – Another young guy that has seen his moments already in England with Leeds and now Carlisle United. He was loaned out this season to get more playing time and so far he’s only seen limited action.

Paul Stalteri – Another Canadian to keep watch out for. He’s still in Germany at the moment but the playing time for this 33-year old isn’t all that great. He’s a little older than most TFC or Whitecap fans would want to see come back to them but I’d imagine he’d be a much better improvement for the Reds over someone like Nick Garcia.

Charlie Davies – Yes I know he finally returned to the first team bench this weekend but I still have a hunch he’ll be in MLS before long. I hope to be proved wrong for his sake though as I’d love to see him get back to where he was at before his horrific car crash.

Kenny Cooper – The move to Europe hasn’t been a smooth one for KC Junior. Either its a lack of playing time or another loan spell that doesn’t work out for him it seems like nothing has really gone his way so far since leaving FC Dallas.

Marcus Tracy – Another one I still have a hunch will come to MLS before long. He skipped out on playing in MLS a couple years ago even though he was drafted by the Houston Dynamo. Things looked nice starting out for him in Denmark but only 15 appearances since joining Aalborg in 2009 doesn’t bode well for his future.

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I’m sure there are plenty more that are really in need of a better playing situation and returning home to MLS would be a good fit. Feel free to add them below. Just keep in mind that I’m not saying any of these guys are going to come back to MLS tomorrow or even next summer. Just an opinion that I think they’d be better off back here.

John Spencer talks about each signing. (Photo via Portland's press conference)

The Portland Timbers are already taking shape before their first MLS season next year. Today they announced the signing of four players to their MLS roster including three players from their 2010 D-2 roster. All three Portland players were former MLS players and are now returning to the league as well.

The signings included forward Ryan Pore, midfielder Bright Dike, goalkeeper Steve Cronin and striker Eddie Johnson. The only non-Portland player to sign was Johnson who is coming up from the Austin Aztex.

During the announcement Technical Director Gavin Wilkinson stated the club would likely sign at least two more players from their D-2 roster before the expansion draft next month. Most believe those two will either be Ian Joy, Khalif Alhassan or Mamadou “Futty” Danso.

Portland went very attacking minded in their first round of signings which kind of leads me to believe they’ll go defensive in the expansion draft. If their other two signings are from their club I think they’ll be defensive as well but if they go outside of their club again like they did with Johnson I’d imagine they’ll be filling out their midfield some.

Three of the four signings today are proven goal scorers in the D-2 level but two of those three (Pore and Dike) weren’t able to see much on the MLS level before.

About The Four

Ryan Pore had plenty of time in MLS before with Kansas City but was probably never utilized well during the time of Curt Onalfo’s run managing the team. He’s been very good with Portland these last two seasons which leads me to think he’s found a system that works for him. New Portland coach John Spencer will likely know how to use Pore too next year.

Bright Dike was drafted by Columbus in the first round this past year but never made an appearance in a MLS game with the Crew as they released him before the start of the season. I have a feeling Dike will enjoy playing against the Crew next year.

Eddie Johnson was a surprise pick in some ways as most expected Portland to sign only guys from their roster but they pulled a Seattle and went outside of the box in this signing. Honestly I love it as Johnson is a guy that knows his way around goal and could turn out to be another Sebastien Le Toux type of player.

Steve Cronin was the only non-attacking player signed today by the Timbers. He’s been very good with the Timbers the last couple of seasons after spending time in LA. No doubt he’s got MLS quality but it will be interesting to see how he holds up against better attacking teams like RSL and LA this time around in MLS.

What did you all make of the signings today by the Timbers?

Bob Bradley has a lot of thinkin' to do right now. (Getty Images)

I realized I’ve slacked on my World Cup hype duties these last couple months and now that the big event is a month and a half away I need to pick it up here. Today just seems like a good day to talk about the USMNT and who Bob Bradley will call into camp next month.

We know Bradley will be calling in more than what will ultimately become the final 23-man roster for the World Cup. He’s gotta do this to evaluate the final few roster spots that aren’t finalized just yet. Most would agree that a good chunk of the roster is probably already set in Bradley’s mind. He knows his keepers and likely most of his defense and midfield. But up top things get dicy with the slew of injuries and lack of quality form out of some guys in the pool.

Bradley has a lot to consider in the form of guys coming off of injuries too at this point, which in a way is a good thing. Sure their form could be off but having a few main guys back will go a long way in getting out of the group stages in June.

You’ve probably seen plenty of these rosters guesses but this is my take at it. Feel free to agree or disagree below in the comments section. I’ll give you my 26-28 guys I think that could be called in next month (obviously not all will be called here).

Goalkeepers: Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, Brad Guzan

There’s really no dancing around this one unless one of these guys goes down in the final weeks of the English season. Howard is the easy pick for starter and really if we had to go with the other two in any game I’d feel okay with that as well.

Defense: Jonathan Spector, Oguchi Onyewu, Jay Demerit, Carlos Bocanegra, Clarence Goodson, Jonathan Bornstein, Steve Cherundolo, Heath Pearce

This area is fairly set in my mind. Having Onyewu back in training at AC Milan is huge for him and the US. I’ve gone back and forth in my mind over Bornstein’s inclusion with the team but he’s a Bradley guy so he’s in no matter what really. I won’t go into who should start on the right or left back but with this group we should be ok. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Spector at left back at this point but Bocanegra could end up there as well based on his play in France this year.

Midfield: Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Stuart Holden, Maurice Edu, Michael Bradley, Benny Feilhaber, Ricardo Clark, Alejandro Bedoya, Jose Francisco Torres, DaMarcus Beasley

Things get a little tougher here. In a way I consider both Deuce and Donovan more as strikers than as midfielders but I know they’ll be listed here when the roster comes out so I won’t even try arguing it. There is a thought too that Edu could slide into a centerback role as well which could free up another spot for another midfielder or take away from one defender.

Holden is getting healthy and that’s a real positive thing to see for this group of players. I think Bedoya has made some major strides in getting close to winning a roster spot, he’s one of my darkhorse picks here. Beasley is another guy that is on the fringe for me but I just got a gut feeling that he’ll make it.

Forwards: Jozy Altidore, Conor Casey, Edson Buddle, Herculez Gomez, Charlie Davies, Eddie Johnson, Brian Ching

This group is the hardest to figure out. Part of me thinks Brian Ching will make it if he returns from injury in time, the other part of me figures at this point its a long shot. With the way that Buddle and Gomez have played recently we know at least one of them should probably make it to South Africa.

I put Casey up there because I see him as another one of those Bradley guys. His form hasn’t been great this season but its been good enough. I don’t love the idea of Johnson here but he’s really finding his own way in Greece right now which should boost his confidence. He’s one of those guys that rides good confidence to the bank and if he is sailing high right now in Greece it will only make things tougher on Bradley, which isn’t a bad thing either.

Not a bad showing by the US against Holland. (Getty Images)

I won’t go too into the match just yet, I have a plan on re-watching some of it later on today but I did want to give my initial player ratings from this afternoon’s 2-1 loss to the Dutch in Amsterdam.

WVH USMNT Player Ratings:

Tim Howard – 7
Jonathan Spector – 5
Carlos Bocanegra – 7
Jay DeMerit – 5
Jonathan Bornstein – 2
Stuart Holden – 5
Michael Bradley – 5
Jose Francisco Torres – 5
Landon Donovan – 4
Jozy Altidore – 6
Robbie Findley – 4

Subs:
Maurice Edu – 4
DeMarcus Beasley – 7
Alejandro Bedoya – 6
Heath Pearce – 4
Eddie Johnson – 4
Clarence Goodson – 5

Top Three Players for US:

1. DeMarcus Beasley – Off the bench he was very good today, probably much better than he’s been in recent games that I’ve seen him in. I like the idea of him still coming off the bench though instead of starting for the US.
2. Tim Howard – He made his usual few big saves but got unlucky with the PK and the other goal. Still can’t blame this loss at all on Timmy, he worked his ass off as usual.
3. Carlos Bocanegra – Got the lone goal on a great free kick by Beasley. He was so freakin’ open on that play it was ridiculous. He also did well in the back today for the US.

Overall it wasn’t a terrible game by the US. I thought Donovan was a ghost most of the game but that could be due to poor service from out of the back for him. Early on the US was too predictable in the midfield and in the final third. Robbie Findley was okay but really showed he has no shot at a roster spot in South Africa after getting over powered in this game by the Dutch defense. He has the speed to beat them but never really took people on like we would have liked.

Bad day for Bornstein though. First the penalty late in the first half and then the deflection for the second Dutch goal in the second half. I thought Bob Bradley should have subbed him at half for someone like Pearce but he’s got too much of a love fest for Bornstein.

Again, I hope to have more later on this game.

Bob Bradley has some tough choices to make for tomorrow's friendly against Holland (Getty Images)

Honestly I need to amp up my USMNT cover on here. I’ll admit I don’t get to see every game like I would like and I honestly nearly forgot the El Salvador game last week. In fact I didn’t even get to watch all of it but what I did see what the final 20 minutes or so which were fun to view since it was a nice comeback for the US.

What we know is this Holland game tomorrow is a biggie. Its in Holland and the Dutch are easily one of the best squads in the World right now. But this is more than a high profile friendly for Bob Bradley it is a chance to really finish filling out his roster for June at the World Cup in South Africa.

A good chunk of the roster is probably set but for those bubble players this is a big test. The two friendlies so far this year were definitely for the MLS talent to show their stuff and while they did a decent job only a couple of that B or C bunch will make an sort of dent in this roster come June.

Bradley has a couple areas to hammer out before June. The nearly all his defense needs to be figured out, his defensive midfield spot, and a striker.

Left Back: It will either be Jonathan Bornstein or Heath Pearce come June in this spot. That I am certain of. Pearce had a nice game against El Salvador and really seems to be doing well in Dallas right now. Having quality playing time has certainly helped him out too. Depending how they look tomorrow will go a long way in determining who gets a roster spot in June. My money is on Pearce right now.

Center Back: I still have a guy feeling Oguchi Onyewu will be available come June but some how if he isn’t it will be between Jay DeMerit, Clarence Goodson and Carlos Bocanegra to pick up the slack. I think the bigger story will be if Goodson can continue to impress Bradley. I think should Onyewu return to full health and Goodson continue to impress it will make Bradley’s life tough but in a good way. I’m not saying that he’d take Goodson over Onyewu here but having an improving Goodson only helps our chances in the back.

Right back: I worry about the wings in the back but if Pearce can get up to speed on the left I think so can Jonathan Spector on the right. But let’s not sleep on Frank Simek here, this game could be his big chance to make it in June.

Defensive Mid: It will likely be a WVHooligan favorite Maurice Edu to go in the midfield along side Michael Bradley. I think at this point this is Edu’s spot to lose. With Ricardo Clark on the outside looking in for a roster spot at this point I think Edu is a good bet, which I am happy with here too.

Striker: Ok we know Jozy Altidore is set and if Charlie Davies doesn’t return in time it will come down to three guys: Jeff Cunningham, Robbie Findley or Eddie Johnson. If that is the case my money is on Findley here. I’m curious to see which gets the start tomorrow with Altidore though because both need a strong start to do well.

Again tomorrow is a big deal. We must find a way to stop the Dutch on the wings. I’m very worried that Arjen Robben and Rafael van der Vaart will eat our boys alive on the wings. If we find a way to stay in front of them and keep them honest we’ll be fine. If not it could be a very long night in Amsterdam.

The Dutch also like to shoot from range, so guys in the midfield and in the center part of the pitch must be on guard. One slip up will put Tim Howard in some jeopardy. Protecting the ball in the midfield will be key for the US.

I expect a high tempo to this game from both sides but the US will be wise to slow it down at some points to keep the pressure off the defense. Our forwards will need to work together to get quality looks on goal. The Dutch defense is a savvy one, but isolating one of them at a time can help work wonders. A big game from Landon Donovan also wouldn’t hurt!

This won’t be an easy game by any stretch for the US. Holland is damn good and they are very tough to beat in Holland. Forcing mistakes early will boost our confidence if we can get them but giving up silly passes in the midfield and on the wings will doom us. I hate going against the US but until we show up on the road, particularly in Europe I have to go against us. It should be fun to watch…key word is should.

WVH Prediction: Holland 2, US 0

How has Eddie Johnson has changed our lives? New WVH writer John Parker takes a look.

By John Parker

Brian Mcbride was a good player. So was Joe-Max Moore. Eric Wynalda held the American scoring record for nearly a decade.

Alright, I don’t know where to start with this, and my free writing is a little sub par here. But there is a point, and it’s not that subtle. The US has produced some adequate players up top, but the position has been the country’s Achilles heel…and an anomaly. This is a nation that hosts the most astonishing athletes in the world, and yet cycle after cycle we see gadflies, overachievers and “hard workers” leading the line. Meanwhile, the Damani Ralph’s of the world were entering the MLS and snatching golden boots.

Before the 2006 cycle, this is what we not only experienced, but expected. We waited on the coming Hispanic infusion that would introduce craft to the position; the demographics of America were rapidly changing, and the future of American soccer supposedly with it. We would see a new breed of player, one who preferred to play on the ball, to strike it from distance and to create for his teammates. Brian Mcbride was great, but we could improve.

But then something curious happened. Eddie Johnson, an American striker with sub par ability on the ball won the golden boot with the U-20’s, and then again with the MLS. It was astonishing…because he was an astonishing athlete. Playing off the hips of the defender, Eddie looked to impose his will with his speed. He didn’t finish off of crosses or set pieces but rather through balls. He was introduced to the National Team and quickly reeled off seven goals. The message boards lit up. People bought the jersey they were sure to wear for a decade…after all, who offered what Eddie did up top? Those seven goals may have been somewhat of a fluke, but they may also have been proof of something greater than just Eddie. The American style, with its counter-attacks and its high pressure defending (which leads to interceptions up the pitch) could take advantage of a forward who routinely got behind the defense. The Twellman’s of the world slowed down our attack when, if anything, we needed to be speeding up.

Don’t beat yourself up for falling for the hype to early. I did…and your favorite blogger probably did too. After all, it’s not like we could complain that Eddie’s ball skills didn’t compare with the rest of the pool. We’d later realize how much better Mcbride’s first touch was, or how much better Moore was off the ball…but the point is for a youth player it was tough to criticize him in comparison (remember, he was battling Taylor Twellman for a spot).

Yes, in the end it did not work out with Eddie. However, his fiery start revealed a seed that is just barely now sprouting. The American striker was not going to be born out of Latino influence but rather an American one. Our obsession with physically dominating our opponents…of physically imposing our will…that was the future of the position, and one that fit our American sensibilities.

Yeah, we are still lacking at the position, but let’s go back to the beginning of the current cycle. Eddie Johnson was beginning to be exposed…and…and…who started against Mexico in the Gold Cup? (Hint: one isn’t a forward, and the other probably won’t be there this summer. Look it up…it took me five minutes to figure it out too.)

Now, the trail-blazing Eddie Johnson has left us with two (yes two!) options up top who offer an array of talents. I know Davies is injured, but as an American product, he must be discussed. You see, we now have a striker tree building from Eddie. One branch, Jozy Altidore, offers extraordinary power, good speed, and a penchant for taking players on off the dribble. The other, CD9, has fantastic speed, good power, and consistently attack the goal with fiery determination. Both can score off through balls, or create a goal themselves. They can play off the defenders hip, but can also be effective receiving it with their backs to the goal. In general, they’re advantage is an athletic one coupled with adequate skills and a confidence we haven’t seen in our past strikers…it’s a confidence that wants to take over the game rather than simply be a cog. Yes, “team” play is great, but sometimes you need more from your strikers than target play. Sometimes you need a goal like Jozy’s against Spain, or Charlie’s against Mexico. Sometimes you need it from both your strikers.

So where do we go from here? Sheer math makes me believe that the previously mentioned dearth of Hispanic influence will be overcome. However, if you look at the current prospects, the proof points more to the growth of the Eddie tree.

• Brek Shea, a tall, lanky winger/striker was taken second by FCD in the draft a couple of years ago after a display of speed and flair at the combine. He may not be a striker in the end, but the mere fact that he was drafted with the position in mind was proof of a new American mindset. He still might have a future at the position.
• Robbie Findley will probably see little time on the pitch for the US in any competitive matches, but Findley seems to have become a preferred option to the Conor Casey’s of the world because of what he offers athletically (which, unfortunately, is about all he offers).
• At the U-20 level, Juan Agudelo and Stefan Jerome seem to be top options for the next cycle. Agudelo is looking at offers from NYRB and Millionaros because of an intriguing balance of size, speed and technical ability, especially at his age. Jerome, who has fallen off quite a bit since his stunning performance against Brazil a couple of years ago, is a tall, lanky striker with speed and desire to beat his defender off the dribble (perhaps too much). [Note: The other striker here is Jack McInerney, but he is unlike any American striker produced, so I’ll pretend he doesn’t exist for the purposes of this article]
• Then there is the 2010 draft. Teal Bunbury may be playing for Canada, but he fits the mold, and MLS large GA offer is proof to his value in the American game. However, Danny Mwanga, the first pick of the draft, should be of more interest to us. Mwanga told a soccernet reporter he hoped to play for the U.S., and given his status as a refugee with a green card, he shouldn’t be too far away from his citizenship. As a 6-2 striker who wows with both elite level athleticism and the technique to match, he would be a natural fit in the new breed of American striker.
• Finally, there is Alfred Koroma, the 15 year old who recently left Bradenton after beginning his second cycle. Koroma was highly advertised as the star of the new class as a player who was not only physically dominant but also technically advanced. Yes, he is young…but Jozy got his first cap at 17 and Koroma will turn 19 before the next world cup.

All of this is admittedly wild speculation. All the speculation, however, points towards one conclusion. Many of these players won’t make it, but the fact that almost all of America’s top prospects at the position fit the Davies/Altidore mold speaks to what we can learn from the past and expect of the future. Current trends point towards a focus on strikers with the ability to get behind defenses off the ball and to overtake them off the dribble.

With Davies and Altidore taking two positions in the next cycle, two remain open. Will we see an entire leading line built in a similar fashion? Will it become a position of strength? Will the American striker become a unique character in the world of soccer?

All of this is unlikely…but it’s still cool to think that Eddie Johnson may have changed American soccer forever.

Editor’s Note: John Parker is new to WVHooligan.com. Feel free to leave him a comment below.

Hopefully this will evolve a bit more over time but for now its just going to be a simple rundown of how everyone did this weekend in their respective leagues.

Some Yanks had the weekend off, some didn’t make it back to their respective clubs after the World Cup qualifier on Wednesday in Guatemala.

Biggest news may be out of France, Freddy Adu did make his debut for AS Monaco this weekend, playing just three minutes in place of Jeremy Menez. We could see Adu replace Menez at Monaco here real soon as from what I’ve been reading Menez is looking to transfer out. That could be a very good thing for Adu as we all want to see him get more playing time, wherever he is.

If there are players I forgot to list feel free to list them below. Or if something is incorrect, also please post it below. As much as I try to focus on everyone I know I will miss or slip up on someone, somewhere.

ENGLAND

• Tim Howard started, played 90 minutes, and made three saves in Everton’s 2-1 win against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. Give this man an iron-man award for actually making the hustle back to England for this match, despite getting knocked in the head by Carlos Ruiz on Wednesday.
• Brad Friedel started, played 90 minutes, and made zero saves in Aston Villa’s 3-2 loss to Stoke on Saturday. Ugly game really, I caught some of it and felt kind of bad for Friedel, his defense really looked bad in this one.
• Marcus Hahnemann started, played 90 minutes and made six saves in Reading’s 4-2 loss to Charlton on Saturday. Another ugly game, lots of goals though which was fun but defensively it was not pretty.
• Bobby Convey started and played 73 minutes for Reading.
• Clint Dempsey came off the bench and played 13 minutes in Fulham’s 1-0 win vs. Arsenal on Saturday.
• Jay DeMerit started and played 90 minutes in Watford’s 3-2 loss to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
• Eddie Johnson did not dress in Cardiff City’s 2-2 tie vs. Norwich on Saturday. Might wanna cut Eddie a break, if you’ve seen this video you will know what I am talking about. The Grown-Ass Man clearly is a bit jet-lagged right now and knows very little of why he is playing in the Coca-Cola division.

SCOTLAND

• DaMarcus Beasley came off the bench and played nine minutes in Rangers’ 1-1 tie vs. Aberdeen on Saturday.
• Maurice Edu completed his transfer to Glascow. Give him a week or so, you will see him play and contend for a spot with this club.

GERMANY

• Neven Subotic started and played 90 minutes in Borussia Dortmund’s 1-1 tie vs. Bayern Munich on Saturday. Okay, Subotic isn’t exactly American (not yet at least)…he’s got an option to pick between the US and I believe Germany for National team play.
• Steve Cherundolo came off the bench and played 18 minutes in Hannover 96′s 0-0 tie vs. Energie Cottbus on Saturday.
• Sal Zizzo did not dress for Hannover 96.
• Heath Pearce dressed but did not play in Hansa Rostock’s 1-0 win vs. Alemania Aachen on Sunday.
• Brian Arguez did not dress in Hertha Berlin’s 1-1 tie vs. Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday.
• Grover Gibson started, played 52 minutes and drew a yellow card in Ahlen’s 3-0 loss to FC Augsburg on Sunday.
• Gregg Berhalter started and played 77 minutes in 1860 Munich’s 2-1 loss to Mainz on Sunday.

FRANCE

• Freddy Adu came off the bench and played three minutes in Monaco’s 1-1 tie vs. Caen on Saturday.
• Carlos Bocanegra started and played 82 minutes in Rennes’ 2-1 win vs. Lille on Sunday. Another iron-man here. Nice to see Bocanegra doing well again these days.
• Quentin Westberg dressed but did not play in FC Troyes’ 1-0 loss to Vannes OC on Friday.

BELGIUM

• Oguchi Onyewu came off the bench and played 16 minutes in Standard Liege’s 3-0 win against KVC Westerlo on Saturday. Will this man get a transfer to England soon? Let’s wait and see.

DENMARK

• Danny Califf, Jeremiah White and Lee Nguyen were off this week.

NORWAY

• Troy Perkins and Valarenga plays Stromsgodset today.
• Adin Brown did not dress in Aalesund’s 1-0 loss to Tromso on Sunda.
• Clarence Goodson started, played 45 minutes and drew a yellow card in IK Start’s 2-0 win against Hodd on Saturday.
• Cam Weaver started, played 90 minutes and drew a yellow card in Haugesund’s 1-1 tie vs. Honefoss on Sunday.
• Kyle Veris started and played 90 minutes for Hodd.
• Jay Needham started, played 90 minutes and scored a goal in Alta’s 4-1 win vs. Bryne on Sunday.

MEXICO

• Michael Orozco did not dress in San Luis’ win against Tigres on Saturday.
• Daniel Hernandez started and played 90 minutes in Chiapas’ 3-2 win vs. America on Sunday.
• Jose Francisco Torres came off the bench and played 45 minutes in Pachuca’s 3-1 loss to UNAM Pumas.
• Jesus Padilla did not play in Chivas de Guadalajara’s 5-3 loss to Santos Laguna. He was serving a red card suspension.