Eddie Johnson

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Johnson, MLS turn down European

BY TOBIAS XAVIER LOPEZ
Knight Ridder Newspapers

DALLAS - (KRT) - FC Dallas forward Eddie Johnson is so hot these days that an offer worth up to $5 million was not enough to pry him away from Major League Soccer.

Portuguese powerhouse Benefica offered to purchase the contract of the 20-year-old goal scorer in January for at least $4 million, and the deal could have reached as much as $5 million based on incentives.

However, Major League Soccer - which owns Johnson's contract - turned down the request, with Johnson's consent. MLS is a single-entity league that negotiates and signs all contracts and pays its players out of a central fund.

Johnson's agent, Richard Motzkin, declined to discuss specific figures. However, he said Friday that Johnson has the potential to draw the highest transfer fee in MLS history.

"He's being scouted by all the top clubs in the world," Motzkin said. "I just returned from Europe, and everybody is asking about him. He's done a great job in the last year at working to improve and not taking anything for granted."

Manchester United paid an MLS-record $4.1 million transfer fee for MetroStars goalkeeper Tim Howard in 2003.

FC Dallas general manager Greg Elliott said he was made aware of the offer before the Jan. 14 MLS SuperDraft.

Elliott said he understands it's only a matter of time before the right offer will come in for Johnson but said he expects it to be closer to the 2006 World Cup after Johnson has had at least another season in MLS.

"Eddie is going to take his time and wait until the right offer comes in, which I don't think he's defined yet in his mind," Elliott said. "... If he continues his natural ascension, then everything will take care of itself. He'll get multiple offers of equal or even greater value."

Johnson, who has played for Dallas for four years, emerged in the past year as one of this country's top goal scorers. He tied for the MLS lead in goals last season with 12 and scored a record six goals in his first four matches with the U.S. national team during a stretch of World Cup qualifiers.

"MLS has made me into the player I am today, and I have a lot of loyalty to the league," Johnson told "Sports Illustrated". "We're all competing for a spot on the World Cup team, and here I can play week in and week out in front of (U.S. coach) Bruce Arena. I'd like to spend a couple more years in MLS and grow as a player, but, at the same time, Europe is every young American's dream. I think it's definitely in my future."

[Rover]

Johnson needs to play in a bigger league (than Portugal), and he seems to agree.