The honors were flowing in for Eddie Johnson this week before and after his brace led the Sounders FC to a 4-2 win over FC Dallas.
What a week it has been for Sounders FC forward Eddie Johnson. In just six days, he learned his international future and helped his club continue its fine form in MLS, and reaped some individual awards along the way.
Thursday, May 16 – U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann calls Johnson into the national team training camp ahead of next month’s World Cup qualifying matches against Jamaica, Panama and Honduras. The camp starts on May 27 and includes friendlies against Belgium on May 29 in Cleveland, Ohio, and against Germany on June 2 in Washington, DC, leading up to qualifiers in Jamaica on June 7, at CenturyLink Field against Panama on June 11 and at Utah’s Rio Tinto Stadium against Honduras on June 18.
Saturday, May 18 – Johnson and the red-hot Sounders took on first-place FC Dallas at CenturyLink Field, with Johnson scoring early and adding the second-half game-winner to lift the Sounders to a 4-2 win. It was Seattle’s third straight victory and extended the team’s unbeaten streak to six games at 4-0-2, jumping to sixth in the Western Conference.
Monday, May 20 – For his efforts against Dallas, Johnson was named MLS Player of the Week and earned MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week honors for the second time this season. The POTW award was his third in his short Sounders career, and he was the first player to earn the award since Brad Evans in October 2012.
Wednesday, May 22 – Johnson became the first Sounders FC player to be named to the EA Sports FIFA 13 Ultimate Team of the Week, joining fellow honorees Philippe Mexès (AC Milan), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Lucho Gonzalez (FC Porto) and Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea/West Bromwich Albion) as the world’s top players that week.
Next Up – Johnson will look to keep the good times rolling against the LA Galaxy this Sunday on ESPN2. The Sounders FC faithful will be watching closely as the club continues its climb up the Western Conference standings, and U.S. fans will also have their eyes set on Johnson as he rounds into form for the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers.