In a blockbuster trade announced Tuesday afternoon, U.S. national team forward Eddie Johnson was named the newest member of the Kansas City Wizards, as the club traded a pair of allocations to FC Dallas for the 21-year-old's services.
"Eddie is the most promising young soccer player in this country," said Wizards general manager Curt Johnson. "He is a world-class athlete who has worked hard in his five seasons as a professional to refine his game and to become an elite player. The attacking duo of Eddie Johnson and Josh Wolff will keep Wizards fans on the edge of their seats. I know I speak for all Wizards fans in saying that I can't wait to see Eddie wearing Wizards Blue at Arrowhead."
FCD, for their part, thanked Johnson for his five years of service to the club and wished him luck in the future. FCD President and General Manager Michael Hitchcock said the decision to trade Johnson was a difficult one.
"Eddie has grown into a world class striker during his time at FC Dallas and we know that if selected, he'll represent the U.S. national team superbly in this summer's World Cup," Hitchcock said. "Given that, decisions like this are never easy to make. Therefore when making them, we ask the question, 'Does this move improve our chances to win championships now and for years to come?' And as we try to create a team that will compete for MLS Cup year after year, we feel like this is the right decision to make."
The move comes on the heels of much speculation this offseason about Johnson's future. Several trade rumors swirled about the speedy striker, with one report having Johnson on his way to the Wizards in exchange for Kansas City and U.S. national team veteran Josh Wolff. Instead, the pair will be lining up together in coach Bob Gansler's side, giving him one of the most potent forward lines in the league in the blink of an eye.
"We had an allocation and my first thought always is quality American players," said Gansler from the team's preseason camp in Tampa. "I don't necessarily think that foreign is better - not anymore. We were looking and we found someone that was looking for allocation money to tie some things together as far as their salary is concerned. Dallas is happy with the money and we're happy with the player we got."
The acquisition of Johnson is just the most recent move in a busy offseason for the club. Two Wizards veterans were shipped out in the last couple of months, as Diego Gutierrez was sent to Chicago while Chris Klein has moved to Real Salt Lake.
"We've had a plan and some of the pieces have come together," Gansler said. "It's not done yet and maybe there were some other aspects that we were looking at and didn't quite get done. (There are) some that we're still looking at that we still hope we can get done."
Johnson has already proven that he is one of the most talented players in U.S. soccer. He has scored 24 goals in 84 MLS appearances, including 12 during his breakout season in 2004. That level of production caught the eye of U.S. national team head coach Bruce Arena, who gave the Florida native a shot during the Red, White and Blue's qualification process for the 2006 World Cup.
Johnson took full advantage, flying out of the gate to score several goals as the U.S. wrapped up the top spot in the final round of qualifying to coast into their fifth straight World Cup. To date, Johnson has recorded eight goals in just 10 appearances for the full national team.
However, Johnson struggled to maintain his fine form throughout 2005. Injuries wreaked havoc on his season in Dallas, as a severe case of turf toe limited his production to just five goals in 15 appearances.
Johnson only recently regained full fitness and was invited to the U.S. team's first camp of 2006 by Arena, which is ongoing at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Johnson came on as a substitute in the USA's scoreless draw with Canada on Jan. 22 in San Diego, but he was forced to leave the field after only 25 minutes when he suffered a calf contusion. However, the injury wasn't serious and Johnson was back on the field, again as a substitute, as the U.S. defeated Japan 3-2 on Feb. 10 in San Francisco.
"I've seen him play since he was a 16-year-old in the under-17 program with John Ellinger. He was a guy who played every day and practiced every day for the most part. Injuries do happen," Gansler said. "Sometimes you get bit by the injury bug and one comes on top of another followed by a third, but that's not something that wasn't going to keep us away from Josh Wolff, nor did it make us flinch or hesitate to acquire Eddie Johnson."
Johnson's continued participation with the U.S. national team creates an interesting situation for the Wizards, with he, Wolff and Trinidad & Tobago striker Scott Sealy all on the bubble for Germany 2006. If the each member of the trio is selected, the club could be without its three marquee forwards. However, Gansler doesn't seem concerned.
"What I as a coach need to do is, when things happen, you take measures," he sad. "We have seven forwards. We will play more than two at a time, that's for sure.
"You adjust when guys are going to be gone, whether it's injury or national team commitments. We wish all of our guys to make the team and play in the World Cup and you go from there. Did that cross our minds? Certainly. Was it something that kept us from trying to pull off this deal? Definitely not."
Jonathan Nierman is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
