The return of US international Eddie Johnson to Major League Soccer Friday created a bit of a stir across North America as the expansion Montreal Impact picked him up via allocation and proceeded to trade him to the Seattle Sounders in exchange for Mike Fucito and Lamar Neagle.
The Sounders duo were a key part of the club’s success last year in the quest to capture an historic third consecutive Lamar Hunt US Open Cup championship, tallying a combined three of Seattle’s seven goals in the tournament and making seven total appearances.
The pair will now have an opportunity win the Nutrilite Canadian Championship featuring the Impact, Toronto FC, North American Soccer League side FC Edmonton and Sounders rival Vancouver Whitecaps. The Impact, new to MLS, won the tournament in its first official year as a CONCACAF Champions League qualifying event as a United Soccer Leagues First Division club in 2008 and went on to reach the Champions League Quarterfinals in a stunning campaign.
Fucito, who played in all four matches, was the Open Cup headline maker of the two, scoring both goals in the club’s tightly contested 2-1 Third Round victory over the local USL Premier Development League side Kitsap Pumas. The performance earned him TheCup.us Man of the Match and Player of the Round honors.
The following round, Neagle provided the insurance goal as he expanded Seattle’s 2-1 halftime lead against the Los Angeles Galaxy for the 3-1 quarterfinal victory.
The duo would both enter the semifinal contest as substitutes versus FC Dallas in a 1-0 decision and started the championship match, a 2-0 win, against the Chicago Fire.
Johnson, who has 42 caps with the US National Team and has been part of its youth program since playing for the U17s in 2000, returns to MLS after spending the past four years abroad. Signed by Fulham in 2008, the former FC Dallas (2001-06) and Sporting KC (2006-08) striker played 18 matches with Fulham and another 62 combined on loan to Cardiff City, Aris and Preston North End. He struck for only seven goals over that span (.09 goals per appearance) after registering 41 in MLS previously (.32 goals per appearance). Johnson has four career US Open Cup goals, all for Dallas.