Can't help but "feel sorry for Johnson," yet, he is but another prime example of some, repeat s-o-m-e, Northamericans with questionable skills to go accross the big pond to try out their wares in Europe, only to learn that with some few and rare exceptions, they just can't cut it. Face the fact and reality, that unless you're a Rossi, Bocanegra, or Donovan with like skills and abilities, Europeans really don't have much - if any - respect for US/Northamerican players and at times big named-teams sign them for publicity purposes. Cases in point: M. Bradley, Freddy Adu, Findley, Altidore, to name several who've become sort of wandering soccer players gypsies. And as for their agents, they must also pay back some of the money they get, and tone down their rhetoric to entice US Northamerican players to go to elsewhere, and likewise for MLS they MUST do more to make sure we/they develop the needed talent here at home, and not sign younger foreign-Europeans players who only displace US born players. Mind you I've no objection seeing young US players plying their trade overseas, but what I do object is how they're marketed by their agents, whose primary job is to also earn a living and secondary to make sure their "product" i.e. "players in their stable are going to flourish and develop overseas. I sincerely hope that Eddie Johnson finds his niche within the MLS, and conversely I hope that MLS sees him as an asset and not a liability in the area of player development.

Eddie Johnson was never any good. He was fast, and he was big. If they are young, European teams take free flyers on those guys all day long. Fulham didnt think Johnson was any good, nor did Villareal think Altidore was any good, or Milan think Onyewu would cut it. All those guys cost virtually nothing, and if after a year or two the club could make them into a 5 million dollar transfer, then the club made 5 million. I don't hold it against the players. And it only embarasses American players because those are the only ones we export. I agree with you Ric, these guys are absolutely indentured servants and victims to agents and clubs. I will root for Johnson and Adu - they havent had it easy.

As a Cardiff City fan, i wish Eddie all the best. He does come across as a genuine nice guy. He was never worth the 3 million-pound ($5.85 million) Fulham paid for him. when he arrived at cardiff he looked as if he had never played the game before ( we know he had ), he left cardiff as a much better player and looked equipped to play lower league football. Good luck Eddie and i an proud to say " i saw Eddie score "