Year of Growth Culminates in Call-up for EJ

Eddie Johnson might not have lit up the stat sheet in his time at Cardiff City, but his season-long loan with the Bluebirds certainly paid dividends. His spell at Ninian Park helped him improve his work rate immensely, something that endeared him to the Cardiff City faithful. Manager Dave Jones, whose tutelage certainly helped the former MLS star develop as a player, also frequently praised Johnson for his work in training. Eddie also developed other facets of his game, as well, as his skills became more refined and improved. Overall, Johnson's experience in the Coca-Cola Championship was an invaluable one that helped him turn a corner in his professional career.

Johnson brought what he learned back to Craven Cottage after his loan spell ended, and he impressed throughout the preseason. The former FC Dallas and Kansas City Wizards frontman picked up several assists and scored a goal in Fulham's preseason tour of Australia, logging a good deal of playing time along the way. Though Johnson has not played much for Fulham's first team this season, he has been a fixture for the reserve side. There, he has played very well, scoring a handful of goals, including two in a recent game against Cardiff City, and providing a consistent attacking threat. Johnson has also improved his ability to make good penetrating runs and to finish inside the area. His play has kept him on Roy Hodgson's radar, who has put EJ on the substitutes bench for a several matches.

In his rare appearances with the first team, Johnson has made his presence felt. In a Europa League match against Lithuanian side FK Vetra, he came on as a late second half substitute and set up a goal. In his lone EPL appearance of the year, Johnson almost stole 3 points for the Cottagers in their match against West Ham, narrowly missing the net after his hustle blocked the clearance of the roaming goalkeeper. Many American fans feel that Johnson really has improved a lot over the past year and just needs the opportunity to show it on the field, and I must say that I agree. Thankfully for Eddie and those aforementioned fans, he will likely get some minutes in the upcoming week with the USMNT.

Yes, after some left him for dead because of his drop and the rise of Jozy Altidore and Charlie Davies, Eddie Johnson is returning to the USMNT for the upcoming friendlies against Slovakia and Denmark. Bob Bradley, recognizing Eddie's growth over the past year, has brought him into camp to see if he might be the man to fill the void at striker left by Davies' unfortunate accident. It certainly wasn't an easy year for Eddie, but all of his hard work has paid off, as he's now worked himself back into the conversation for next summer's World Cup in South Africa. Seeing how Eddie has worked over the past year, though, it's unlikely that he'll be satisfied with just that. No, he'll want a lot more, and he'll keep plugging away until he gets there.