Johnson firing on all cylinders in return to MLS

Northwest Sports Update

A sportsbook review of the world’s professional soccer leagues would have Major League Soccer well down the list in terms of quality, and there is always much made of older European starts, such of Los Angeles’ David Beckham and New York’s Theirry Henry, going to the United States in their later years. But when players leave America for Europe, it usually doesn’t end well and Seattle’s Eddie Johnson found that out.

Johnson scored 41 goals in 127 games in six seasons for FC Dallas and Kansas City before trying his hand in Europe, and any sports betting player can tell you that the quality goes up overseas. Johnson lasted three years with Fulham where he went out on loan spells that ultimately didn’t benefit anyone, scoring seven goals in 79 games, and none in his 19 appearances with Fulham, where he played with fellow American Clint Dempsey, who is one of the rare successful United States players to make the move to England.

The 28-year-old striker was then given a lifeline back into MLS by Seattle Sounders FC and he has not let them down as Johnson has scored 10 goals in 19 matches so far for the Sounders, who have only scored 27 goals as a team and they would be in a world of trouble if it wasn’t for Johnson, a native of Daytona Beach. Only four other players, including Henry, have scored more than Johnson’s 11 markers and he is well on his way to breaking his career high of 15, which was set in 2007 with Kansas City in his last season before heading to England. As a result, the Sounders are a legitimate option at sports betting sites as they sit on 34 points, good for third in the Western Conference behind San Jose and Real Salt Lake, who are 10 and eight points ahead, respectively.

Without Johnson, Seattle’s offense would be as unpredictable as a poker game (which you can find here) as Fredy Montero has had his moments, but outside of those two the offense has been toothless. The Sounders’ saving grace has been a defense that has been hard to break at home, allowing seven goals, but they’ve given up 15 on the road and that is a slippery slope to be on. The Sounders need Johnson to stay healthy, which he has for the past few seasons, and he would love to show that he still deserves some respect in MLS. Johnson hasn’t been called up for the national team for over a year, so that could be a motivation for him, but the better he does, the better it is for Seattle’s online betting odds.