Johnson returns to Sounders after leading U.S. team
When Eddie Johnson (pictured right) left Seattle to join the U.S. national team for his first call-up in more than two years, he wasn’t sure what coach Jurgen Klinsmann had in store. When Johnson arrived back in Seattle early Wednesday following two sterling performances in World Cup qualifying, he was the buzz of American soccer. Johnson scored both U.S. goals in a win over Antigua and Barbuda then made a perfect cross to his national team roommate, Clint Dempsey, for the deciding goal in the Americans’ 3-1 win over Guatemala. It’s just another step in Johnson’s rapid ascent from being a player without a club in Europe to being one of Major League Soccer’s top stars this season. He leads the playoff-bound Sounders with 14 goals. – AP