The Seattle Sounders attacker shows off his red-hot form with two goals in Major League Soccer action. On the other end of the scale, it's ice cold in Mexico for an American in the midfield.
BY
Jon Arnold
Posted
May 22, 2013
1:00 PM
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Who’s Hot?
Eddie Johnson: The Sounders are back, as is Johnson, who doesn’t look to have any lingering issues with the hamstring that dogged him throughout the last month. Johnson scored two goals against league-leading FC Dallas this weekend in a 4-2 Sounders victory. The first goal showcased his speed and physicality with EJ sprinting past a defender then holding him off before putting a half-volley into the back of the net. The second was the result of a good run and smart stutter-step that beat the keeper. The thought of Johnson scoring on the same Century Link Field turf–OK, not the same turf–when the national team plays Panama in World Cup qualifying will bring a smile to Jurgen Klinsmann’s face.
John Anthony Brooks: His season might be over, but Brooks’ stock is still on the rise. While Germany didn’t call up the defender for U-21 action, perhaps holding off until the 2015 championship, his club and the United States are both giving him his due. Tab Ramos was hoping the hulking Hertha half would join up with the U-20s team in Toulon. But Ramos left Brooks off the roster when the player cited a need to rest up for the Bundesliga after helping his team to promotion. He ended the year by scoring the lone Hertha goal in a 1-1 draw that closed the championship season.
Who’s Not?
Jose Torres: The midfielder was getting regular time for Tigres and that continued all the way through the club's early exit in the Liga MX playoffs. In the first leg of that series, Torres was yanked early in the first half. He bounced back a bit in the second leg but still didn’t impact the game in the midfield as much as he’d like. That mediocrity in recent performances has the 25-year-old on the outside of the crowded red, white, and blue midfield just months after Klinsmann showed a willingness to try Torres in the starting XI.
Michael Parkhurst: While his recent call-up would seem to indicate Parkhurst is fit enough to see match action, he hasn’t played any minutes since February 16, a day you’ll remember for that regrettable leftover Valentine’s Day candy binge you indulged in. It’s been a long time since then, and one doubts how fresh the right back will be under Klinsmann.
Jon Arnold (@ArnoldcommaJon) is a writer based in Arizona and is ASN's CONCACAF correspondent.
