All season, Kansas City Wizards forward Eddie Johnson has talked about being a guy his teammates can count on to put goals away and help them win games. Fifteen goals later (six game-winners), Johnson has proved he can walk the walk.
But last Saturday night in New York, Johnson stepped up to take a 53rd-minute penalty kick that would have pulled the Wizards level in a match loaded with playoff implications. Johnson shot towards the left corner, but Red Bulls goalkeeper Jon Conway was able to parry the ball away.
Johnson and his teammates headed home without a point, meaning once again it would come to the final weekend of the season for the Wizards to reach the MLS Cup Playoffs. Any other year, that failure might have been enough to derail the 23-year-old striker.
"When moments like that happen, it's how you respond. That shows how much character you have," Johnson said. "From a maturity standpoint, I've grown as a player. I missed a PK three years ago, and my head was down the whole [rest of the] game. But, [this time], I still made a strong contribution to the game and tried to put my team in a situation where we could get at least a point out of it."
Wizards head coach Curt Onalfo agreed, adding that Johnson has not looked back.
"His response was good. His response in training [this week] has been very, very good, and I believe he'll prevail this weekend," Onalfo said.
When Kansas City takes the field Saturday against FC Dallas in a match they must win to assure a playoff berth, they will need a confident Johnson on their side. He'll be there.
"The best players in the world miss PKs. You live and you learn. That doesn't stop me from having the confidence I been playing with this year," he said. "My teammates still have confidence in me. If I get one in Dallas, I'll take it again."
The Palm Coast, Fla. native began his professional career for the then-Dallas Burn in 2001 at the age of 17. A win against his former team means the playoffs for Johnson and the Wizards; it's just a bonus that he will be able to get reacquainted with some old friends.
"I couldn't have asked for a better opponent to be playing this weekend to have to clinch a playoff spot [against] than my old team. ... I know how much they want to stop me from scoring and how much I want to score. It will be a fun game," he said. "You can just go into this game this weekend and put it all on the line. I have a saying: Put it all out on the line. I'd rather fail knowing that I gave my all than think, 'What if?' or 'I should have ...'"
Ironically, Johnson's last goal was a penalty kick conversion against the Columbus Crew on Sept. 15. Even though he has contributed two assists since then, a month without a goal is too long for a team's leading scorer.
"I'm due. I think it's four or five games that I've had a lot of opportunities. I haven't put the ball in the back of the net," said Johnson. "Get one early [Saturday], who knows how many more you get? It's a game where I'm going to be all over the net and in dangerous spots."
That resolve is just what his teammates and coaches want to hear.
"He's consistently been one of the most dangerous forwards in the league, so it's important for Eddie to have a good performance ...," said Onalfo. "If we have a good team performance and Eddie is on his game, it gives us a great chance to be successful."
After his last goal, which pulled his team level with Columbus in stoppage time and made it possible for Scott Sealy to win the match less than a minute later, Johnson invited his teammates to "jump on [his] back", implying he would carry them into the playoffs. Once again, Johnson is ready to handle the load.
"We can't control where we stand in the table, but what we can control is getting three points this weekend," he said. "It's 18 guys willing to give that commitment and sacrifice this weekend."
Bob Rusert is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
