Edward Abraham Johnson (born March 31, 1984) is an American former professional soccer player.
Johnson played the majority of his fourteen-year club career in the U.S. with FC Dallas, the Kansas City Wizards, Seattle Sounders FC, and D.C. United. Johnson also spent three and a half years with several European clubs.
Johnson also played for the United States men's national soccer team from 2004 to 2014, and was part of the U.S. squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. At the time of his retirement, Johnson ranked eighth on the list of goal-scorers with 19 goals for the U.S. national team.
Johnson became one of the youngest players to sign with Major League Soccer, and was drafted by Dallas Burn as a Project-40 player in the second round of the 2001 MLS SuperDraft. In his first three years in the league, he did not get much playing time, and was very inconsistent when he did get on the field. Johnson scored just seven goals for Dallas in those seasons, while missing time with U.S. youth national teams.
Johnson made his league debut on May 12, 2001, as an 87th-minute substitute for Bobby Rhine in a 4-0 victory over the Columbus Crew. He scored his first professional goal on July 4, a 95th minute equalizer against the New England Revolution. He made his first professional start on August 4 in a 5-1 loss to New England.
In January 2005, Benfica offered what would have been an MLS-record $5 million transfer fee for Johnson, but Johnson and the league both rejected the offer.
In May 2005, Johnson suffered an injury to the toes of his right foot that sidelined him until August of that year. After returning to MLS in August – he scored only five goals during the season – Johnson re-injured his toes in mid-September and was sidelined until January 2006.
With Dallas in salary cap trouble, Johnson was traded to the Kansas City Wizards on February 14, 2006, for two allocations.
It was announced that Johnson would be training with Premier League club Reading during the MLS offseason, but he did not sign with the club.
In 2006 and early 2007, Johnson suffered a decline in form, scoring only twice in the 2006 MLS season and failing to make an impact with the national team. However, Johnson returned to form with the start of the 2007 MLS season, notching twelve goals and three assists in his first eleven games. On June 2, 2007, Johnson became the first player ever to score back to back hat-tricks in MLS play when he scored three goals against the New York Red Bulls, following a three-goal performance against the New England Revolution the previous week on May 26. Johnson was named MLS Comeback Player of the Year and team MVP for his efforts.
In July 2007, Johnson saw increased speculation over a transfer to the Premier League. Derby County had been most vocal, with Derby manager Billy Davies confirming that he would explore the U.S. market. However, after MLS accepted a $6 million bid from Derby, Johnson reportedly nixed the deal as he preferred to finish his season in Kansas City. Johnson revealed his contract is structured to give him final say over whether he is purchased by fifteen designated clubs. Johnson left the national team camp in California on January 17, 2008; he completed a transfer to Fulham on January 23, 2008, signing a contract extending until the summer of 2011.
Johnson made his league debut on 23 February as a 76th minute substitute for Clint Dempsey in a 1-0 loss to West Ham United. He made his first league start on 1 March in a 3-0 loss to Manchester United.
He joined Championship side Cardiff City on loan for the 2008–09 season in August, making his debut for the club during a 2–1 victory over Milton Keynes Dons in the Football League Cup. He went on to make his league debut four days later as an eighty-fifth-minute substitute in a 0–0 draw with Sheffield United. He struggled to recover his goal-scoring form that he showed during his time in MLS.
However, he regained some of his form as the season progressed, and had a breakthrough week when he scored his first goal in English soccer on March 7, 2009, in a 3–0 victory against Doncaster Rovers. Four days later Johnson was named man of the match for his performance in Cardiff's 3–1 victory over Barnsley. A month later, when Cardiff hosted Derby County, Johnson scored his second goal of the season and added an own goal during injury time as the Bluebirds rolled to a 4–1 victory. Johnson's goal for Cardiff also meant that he was the last Cardiff City goalscorer under the Ninian Park floodlights.
Johnson returned to Fulham from Cardiff City for the 2009–10 season. He featured in the majority of Fulham's pre-season fixtures, scoring in a friendly at Australian club Melbourne Victory, was on the bench for Fulham's 3–0 victory over Vetra in the first leg of the third round of the Europa League, and came on as a late substitute in and recorded an assist in Fulham's 3–0 win in the second leg against Vetra.
On December 31, 2009, Johnson joined Greek side Aris on loan for the remainder of the 2009–10 season. On January 13, 2010, Johnson made his first appearance for Aris, coming on as a 79th-minute substitute in a 2–0 victory over Asteras Tripolis in the round of 16 of the Greek Cup. He made his Greek Super League debut, appearing as a second-half substitute against PAS Giannina F.C., on January 17, 2010. Johnson scored two goals in their playoff win over Olympiacos. Johnson scored five goals for Aris and was one of the top goalscorers in the Super League play-offs with three goals.
On January 31, 2011, Johnson was sent out on loan to Championship club Preston North End. He scored his first goal against Reading on April 5; a flicked on header from a curling Keith Treacy cross. The goal was later given as an own goal.
On December 22, 2011, it was announced that Johnson had signed with Primera División de Mexico club Puebla. However, Johnson never officially signed a contract with the team and was released from camp after training with the team three or four times due to a difference in opinions between the coach, Juan Carlos Osorio, and the team's technical staff.