I'll admit it, I have a soft spot for Eddie Johnson. I know he has mostly underwhelmed to this point in his European career, and there's really no reason to believe he's suddenly going to become a top American striker. He hasn't always been the most well-adjusted player mentally, and for all his physical gifts, his play is hardly a credit to American soccer or an indication he'll be back in the USMNT first team any time soon.


I can't help it, I still root for GAM.


And that's exactly why I didn't react to Eddie's comments about the lack of respect Americans receive in England as most probably did. Eddie's perspective is certainly skewed; he hasn't played well enough to get into the first team at Fulham, so he sees the road for Americans in England as pitched in an uphill direction. These comments could be easily parsed as Eddie playing the victim.


Although I think he's probably right to a point.


Eddie goes on to praise the style of new Fulham boss Mark Hughes, while also making sure to say "all the right things" in regards to his ability to get on the field for the Cottagers. This means nothing, really, since all athletes are trained to parrot these type of statements when asked about their prospects. But Eddie does have a chance to impress a new manager, and while he hasn't dressed for Fulham in their first two league matches, it's not impossible that he features at some point during this campaign.


Unlikely, maybe, but not impossible.


Anyway, I wish Eddie luck. I hope he explodes in a flurry of Premier League goals and manages to defeat the insidious bias against American players in England. I hope the Mark Hughes era at Craven Cottage gives him a chance to justify the club's purchase of him and by proxy improves Major League Soccer's standing as a place to find quality players at reasonable prices (except for Donovan - he'll cost you).