Johnson: I Took Brazil Notes by Greg Seltzer - September 13, 2007 |
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| ▪ MLS News Briefs - Week 24 | |
The opportunity to make even a brief substitute appearance against Brazil is enough to boost one's soccer IQ a few points, claims Kansas City strike star Eddie Johnson. |
▪ US v Brazil Ratings |
| ▪ ASD Match Report: Brazil Tops US | |
| The US National Team ace worked the final 20 minutes of their 4-2 loss, and quickly made an impact. Johnson contributed to the build that concluded with Clint Dempsey's 73rd minute equalizer, and says he was able to take notes before and during his spell on the field. The Wizards #9 shirt made use of his time in the dugout and warming up behind the goal to plot ways to attack the Samba Kings backline. "Absolutely, looking to see where the space was," Johnson confided to American Soccer Daily. "I learned a lot playing against Gilberto, Lucio, Maicon... those guys are among the best players in the world." "We had to do a lot of running against those guys. I felt confident turning and facing those guys, and then sometimes laid it off. You take what you can get and keep moving." Johnson immediately provided a boost to the US offense on a muggy Chiago afternoon, but admits it was no cake walk to go after some big name defenders. "It's not easy, but I think the experience I had in Copa America - playing against Argentina, Colombia and Paraguay, countries that play Brazil (often) - if I can find ways to kick balls and pick spots against those teams, then why not against Brazil?" he mused. "I knew it was a hot day, I had fresh legs. My whole job was to make a difference. I think I had a great week of training. My touches have been sharp, so I just wanted to put out on the field what I put into training." |
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