Photo by ISIphotos.com
Eddie Johnson is on his way to Greece, and he may not be the only American heading there.
The American striker has been sent on loan to Greek club Aris Salonika (Thessaloniki is the Greek variation of the name), Fulham announced on Thursday.
Now reports have surfaced linking Aris FC with a move for Freddy Adu.
Johnson has struggled for playing time with Fulham even amid several injuries to the Cottagers forwards, so a move to Greece could be a move that helps give him the playing time he needs to develop into a candidate for the U.S. World Cup team.
Adu is also expected to make a move away from Benfica this winter after being returned from his failed loan stint with Belenenses. The reports linking him to Adu are new, but Adu has been hinting at a major decision coming soon on his club future.
Managed by former Inter Milan and Parma manager Hector Cuper, Aris FC currently sits in fifth place in the Greek League standings, which is the league's final Europa League place. Aris is currently tied on points with Kavala and Panonios in the race for that final Europa League spot.
Aris FC's first match after Johnson's arrival is on Tuesday vs. Atromitos.
What do you think of the Johnson move? Like the idea? Not so sure about Greece as an option? Can you see Johnson and Adu succeeding in Greece and making the U.S. World Cup squad?
Share your thoughts below.
nice
fnork
better than riding the bench
hopefully this can jump start his career, i still think he has talent and potential to help the US as well, now lets see if Freddy can land somewhere
now is Greece the one with the Pantheon or the Parthenon?… anyway, Greece is a great place to be with awesome beaches, history, and food…
seriously, if this is what it takes for “How Eddie Got His Groove Back”, then I am fine with it
I sure hope they give him a shot. It’s all about playing time.
Anywhere we can get Yanks’ strikers playing time before the WC is a good situation. If he can find any sort of past form wherever it may be, it can only help our depth.
I hope it proves to be just what he needed. I’ve always had faith in Johnson and I think if he overcomes some internal struggles, he can become a very productive player.
Another Baquito for EJ tearing it up in Greece.
What do you think of the move? – if he plays, good.
Like the idea? – if he plays, good.
Not so sure about Greece as an option? – if he plays, then it’s good.
Think Johnson will make the World Cup team? – if he plays and scores goals, then yes, he will.
good team to be loaned out to at the moment
Meh.
What CA said.
I mean, EA. Playing time=good move; no playing time=nothing’s changed, so EJ is still struggling. Man did he look like the future at the very beginning of his nat’l team career…
It’d sure be nice to have someone with real speed back in the line-up now that Davies is out.
Parthenon.
Hmm….I just wondering about where they’ll play him…Greece does have a history of putting Johnsons in wierd places.
FTW!
Greece has a good league and if it amounts to playing time for him, then it’s good. The US squad is thin at striker and we need someone with pace who can also score goals or at least threaten the opponent late in the game when they’re tired.
I recently watched a friendly against Guatemala from 2005/6. It was one of those old tapes that was just lying around, so I popped it in. Johnson’s play was far more dangerous and interesting than it is now. I mean, they’re hardly recognizable. I’m not saying that it’s likely, but if he could restart the career (and I mean, go back to when he was 4 years younger) he could still help us.
But I think we all know that failures are magnified in US soccer because the pool is so small. Good luck, EJ. Remember, the key is to score goals.
wait and see
Judging solely by the UEFA league coefficients (which may be dangerous), the Greek league is just ahead of the Scottish league (home of Edu and DMB) and the Belgian league (former home of Gooch), and slightly more ahead of the Danish and Norwegian leagues.
To repeat what others said above – if he plays, good; if he doesn’t, bad. Simple as that.
Gosh, must be tough to be paid lots and lots of money to live and work in GREECE.
Good luck Eddie. I hope he re-starts his career. That said, I don’t think he has the talent or potential to be in the running for a Nats spot. OK athlete, below average soccer player.
Who says he’s guaranteed to play?
He stinks, no matter where he goes.
At this point it doesn’t matter where he goes as long as he play. Same with Adu. I would at least like to see them compete for WC roster spots even if their efforts do nothing else but motivate the players closer to making the team. They are both young and need PT. Nothing wrong with shooting for 2014.
Lighten up Danny…you’d take him on the Red Bulls in a heartbeat.
Based on their history they’ll play him in the hole.
You guys think this will make EJ an option to Davies in case he dosn’t recover in time to make S.A.?
Meh I dunno, hope there are some English speakers on the team because I would think it would be hard to acclimate yourself on a team full of Greek speakers.
Sorry Adam,
I’m sick of people still talking about this guy and his moves. Jared Jeffrey moving to a Bundesliga side is dramatically more significant move, and gets little fanfare here and elsewhere.
Johnson isn’t good enough for the USMNT, not close. Period.
Salonika is a beautiful and interesting seafront city.
Hahahaha. Well played.
He must play for this to be good.
Good play if he moves. I mean, good move if he plays.
He can run fast. But is his technical ability good enough for the international game? Probably not.
Certainly agree agrees that if EJ plays, then good move. But it will be more newsworthy if he in fact plays and does something with it. So best of luck to him and hope he makes his case on the pitch for more time in this blog
GAM in Greece!
Good luck Eddie Johnson! I like this move…
Decent league…
Team no one’s heard of…
Better weather than where he was…
All that adds up to little to no pressure for EJ, something he’s never shown the ability to cope with. Should be a good move for him.
EJ stinks. Let’s forget about him trying to make the national team bc he is not better than the guys we have.
I like the idea for EJ, but at the same time, I’ve basically given up on him as a USMNT player. If by some miracle he finds his mojo and takes advantage of all the God-given talent that he has, than great. But I doubt that will happen.
Either way, we need more Yanks playing and not rotting away on benches – so all the better for EJ.
By the time his career is over, he will hold the record for most benches sat upon..unless, of course, Adu breaks his record.
Ives – Please note..no negative comments about Uncle Juan Carlos in this post. In addition, no animals were harmed in the writing of this post.
Reaction: As a Fulham fan, hopeful he’s gone for good! As an American, hopeful he can play some but stop with the talk about returning to the NATS.
I look forward to Ives’s weekly post:
GREECE
Eddie Johnson did not dress for Sunday’s game.
If you are going to play in Greece, playing for the Greek God of War is pretty cool I guess.
Hopefully he gets on the pitch. Not a bad move for him I feel.
I guess West London wasn’t ready:
link to farm3.static.flickr.com
Eddie should never have left MLS. His main asset is his speed. He has to be playing regularly to keep game speed up. I’m not even sure he’d be that great in MLS if he keeps riding the pine all over Europe. National Team? I’m not sure he’s fit to start on half the MLS teams right now.
The Freddy Adu rumor might be true.
He had a conversation on facebook a few weeks ago with someone about his future and possile transfer destinations.
Freddy specifically asked the guy what he thought of the Greek League.
Freddy wrote on Tuesday that he already had an offer on the table, this might be it.
For everyone that’s ready to give up on a return to the Yanks, don’t forget Jeff Cunningham just got a run, and he’s 34. If Eddie can get his head straight, his legs underneath him, and his scoring touch and ability back then he’ll have more chances on the MNT. Those are tremendous IF’s at this point, but not impossible. Besides, when he was a viable option, EJ could at least force defenders into respecting his speed. That’s something we’re in short supply of now that Davies could be out of SA. He’s not quality enough to start or even sit the bench for the MNT right now, but that could change with this move.
@Tom not cool dude
That is quite possibly one of the greatest soccer related pictures i have ever seen. I can not thank you enough for bringing this to my attention
thanks, that is hilarious, great picture
pretty funny, but what you expect. If he does better than that, good for him. I like to keep expectations low and be pleasantly surprised as opposed to getting disappointed.
That avatar brings back memories… just found a Benny Dargle signed pennant in the closet of my parents’ house this weekend!
well said..they are both still young. granted 25(eddie johnson) in europe is awhole lot diff expectation wise than in MLS(just being real) but wow come on guys.
And omg, Freddy is 20!!! please let him get to 25, before the “his career is over” statements. same for jozy. i mean the last thing these guys need right now is discouragement from they’re own “supporters” lets lift up our yanks chins, not lower them. just my .02
The Fulham article about the deal was a great read.
It’s up to EJ to show the goods. Problem is, he might have a tough time acclimating to the Greece regardless of the quality of play. There’s a lot more to it than “is EJ good enough.” What he does on the pitch is not 1/10 of it!
I was about to say that there’s no way he adjusts, since the language difficulties he had at Fulham should have been less than those he’ll face in Greece. But the Greeks might accomodate him more than the Brits, who knows?
Good luck, EJ. Earn that paycheck.
Those were seriously fun games back in the ’80s…
Him and Adu are both in situations where they need to find themselves amid failed loan and buy spells. If they manage to get on the same team (or at least near), expect them to help each other out and hopefully the two of them can find their form.
Not the biggest fan of Johnson but as usual, I love getting proven wrong when it comes to Yanks.
I want to kick myself…when Ives announced the EJ move was official I almost posted, “Gee, I wonder if this is where Adu has been hinting he might be going?”
Of course, rather than be recognized as a Soccer Nostradamus, I decided to pay attention to work instead…damn…
Wait, I didn’t even catch the Adu part. Hope springs eternal, I guess, especially when you have a brilliant youth tournament under your belt, and you’re still under the drinking age (at least in this country).
Obviously he wasn’t good enough at this point (maybe ever) for the Prem or Championship. Keep moving down until you find your niche EJ. Get better, then move up. If only you figured this out BEFORE 6 months out from the WC
good move for Johnson…..not sure what would be good for Adu at the moment
if you guys were wondering…the quality in the greek league is probably just under the eridivisie and portuguese league, but above the danish league
we will see what happens
Greece is a VERY unforgiving place to play. Greek clubs are historically VERY strict on their players…strict diets and curfews. My college roommate (from Iceland) excelled in Norway and the English Championship, but couldn’t deal with the strict code of conduct in Greece and flamed out after 6 months. Fwiw, Adu’s late night antics are well known in Portugal. If he doesn’t shape up, he doesn’t stand a chance in Greece.
GAM and Mini Me in Greece Can it get any worse
I kinda want a Τζόνσον jersey now.
His diamond earings got a lot bigger after he went to Europe so at least it looks like they are paying him well.
Adu should come back to MLS. The league should sign him to a developmental contract. He obviously needs to be developed as he’s a train wreck.
Eddie Johnson? Anywhere but back to MLS, please. Don’t want him here. He’s just no good.
I think Greece will be a place to forget EJ, and Adu, a burial ground.
these guys are fighting an uphill battle from day one. Even some of the marquee players in the world need time to adjust to various leagues and cultures.
Its too early to throw eddie johnson away as well…at the same age luca toni was playing in Serie B
Freddy updated his twitter page 15 minutes ago with the message “getting warmer… ”
I think he’s talking to you, Ives.
Things I Wish I Hadn’t Discovered in 2009: Freddy Adu’s twitter page.
Actually, this is not Greece… This is ARIS. ARIS Saloniki. And, yeah, we’re talking about the God of f War.
Be patient, you’ll see…
Ahaha! Well played, OmarV. Did you almost make it the full year?
“Can you see Johnson and Adu succeeding in Greece and making the U.S. World Cup squad?”
Yes.
All it takes is a couple games of good form to explode back on the USMNT scene. Look at Beasley, who went from oblivion to soccer blog star in only 4 games. I wish Johnson the best of luck, he is loaded with talent. I only hope the same for Adu as he finds a team that suits him well. The more fringe players we have in form come March the better it will make the 23-man World Cup squad.
Am I the only one dying for some spanikopita and tzatziki right now? OPA!!!!
I asked Freddy if Aris FC was the club that made him the offer he has.
So I assume it’s them or another Greek team that has.
As a greek and fan of ARIS i hope Adu comes too! we have a very fast team and our coach (Hector Cuper) likes fast players that mark everywhere! they will get their chances (playing time) cause atm we need a CF and a ALM(Adu)! so… i hope the same with you! see them on your national team!
Semper Fidelis!!!
p.s. i don’t know if i can post a link here but if i can… enjoy!!!
link to youtube.com
Adu won’t take that pay cut, and neither will his agent. He’d find just as much success in Scandinavia, Belgium, or the lower leagues in Europe. I’d love to see him come back to the MLS, but unless he lights it up over here, how will he attract European clubs and not be seen as a failure? He HAS to stay in Europe, it’s imperative to the success of his career. I’m not bashing on MLS, just saying he’d be seen as a failure to come back here and not try to make it with another European club just like Donovan.
link to youtube.com
ARIS fans vs Boca Juniors
that’s freakin sweet! Hope they can make it happen together
Vamos, re Mitso!
Freddy n Eddie the dynamic duo
i wont say a lot things……JUST ARIS…….ARIS THRISKEIA FAMILIA SUPER -3- link to youtube.com enjoy the best fans all over the world……
you know EJ’s been playing and scoring for Fulham reserves? I know it’s not ideal, but that really isn’t riding the bench (in the literal sense)
Adu on the hand… well just hope his seat’s comfortable, b/c that is all he does (oh and twitter about it)
but maybe that is exactly what is needed. see example of kids screwing up and being sent to outward bound, or military school and getting their head screwed on straight. if this turns out to be true on both fronts, this could be a blessing in disguise; for both EJ and Adu.
All he / they need is a door to open in the psyche and theseguyswill blast thrhu and be amazing.
Go Aris !!!
Actually both.
Hello…I am an ARIS FC FAN! I hope Eddie helps my team and score many goals!!!
Look were he is coming…
to hte best fans of the world:
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
Hey guys, im greek, fan of Aris FC.
First of all, we are happy that we ‘re gonna have one (or maybe two) USA players in our team.
To be honest, lots of people here, doubt about the potential success of Johnson’s signing for Aris, mostly because there are tons of negative comments for him around the web, coming from fans of Fulham FC and Cardiff.
At the moment our team has 5 strikers: Abreu-Uruguay (he is leaving though any day now), Koke-Spain, Campora-Argentina, Labriakos-Greece, Daly-Ireland but there was an obvious need of a new signing as the team stuggles to score. As i can see things, Koke will be the one first team striker in the 4-4-2 formation that Hector Cuper uses, and the other one will be one of Johnson or Campora. I hope Eddie will prove to be better than Campora and get regular time football at our club, which will hopefully get him in the USAMNT.
Freddy Adu on the other hand is a player that i would personally like a lot to see in the Kleanthis Vikelidis ground, as i have heard a lot for him in the past years. The team has a strong need to sign an AML and Freddy appears to be just ideal for the place. I have heard though, that he is not so good playing as an AML but he is more of a AMC. Is that right? Anyway, i think if they both land in Greece they will adjust better in life here.
Some more things that i will like to comment.
-Unfortulately Jeff you’re not gonna get a “Τζόνσον” jersey as jerseys here are in latin alphabet.
-The Greek league has an average Europe quality, about the same level as the Dutch one. Aris FC is among the top-4 Greek sides, along with OSFP, PAO and AEK.
-Nightlife in the city of Thessaloniki is pretty damn good, and thats a common problem for the club, ‘cos many players like it ;p
-As of the post that Greece is a strict place to play, i disagree. Anyway…
Greetings from Salonica, the city of God
i wish i could take smoke bombs and fireworks to Colts games.
Great post and welcome to the blog. Hope this isn’t the last one. NM
Dumb American moment: I said to myself “How was this guy a Marine?” Duh.
welcome to the greek team with the best supporters.
link to youtube.com
Am I the only one who thinks it’s terrible idea for these two underachievers, over hype guys to be together? I think both of their biggest problems is they believe what those around them tell them, instead of their coaches. I think if one moved here it’s good, but the two of them can potentially poison the water for each other by telling themselves they are better than player x, and the coach just doesn’t like us cause we are American. On the flipside, I will grant you that the opposite could be true, and they both realize this is a 3rd strike for them and they use each other as motivators and help with the culture change. Who knows, but I personally don’t like it
actually not both. pantheon is in rome.
Haven’t you ever heard of Aris Salonica? Either you live in caves or you are alien
:) Just google it….
For 100K a year I would. That’s about it.
Nothing is going to make up for his lack of skill and extremely slow/limited soccer brain. It is what it is.
To hope for different, and to not understand why EJ can’t compete at a high level is the problem of posters and their lack of knowledge. Nothing more…nothing less. EJ is what he is an dno amount of hope is going to change that fact.
Why does everyone keep saying World Cup with these two… what they really need to worry about is not sucking anymore.
Again: we’re talking about Hector Raul Cuper here, I mean, the man IS the soccer, guys.
He knows. And he weets…
Get ready for it – “Requiem for a Cycle:” link to youtube.com
Movie poster: link to i14.photobucket.com
All that adds up to little to no pressure for EJ, something he’s never shown the ability to cope with. Should be a good move for him.
you think so
Guys, we have to keep EJ’s career in perspective. First of all, it’s wrong to say that he stinks. Obviously, he is not as good now as we would have expected or wanted him to be. I think it’s a case of finding the right situation where in which he can grow in confidence and in skill, finding the net, and becoming a part of a team. He found that to some degree at Cardiff, and I think Greece may be that for him. However, he is clearly not the big time star we expected him to be, at least not at this stage. I don’t think it’s right to slag him. though, as he has never given us any reason to do so. He’s not tweeting all his drama or causing riffs at the clubs he’s at. I think the premiership is wrong for him, both stylistically and quality wise. He needs to work up to that level, and going from MLS to the EPL s a big learning curve. Some guys can do it (McBride, Clint, Reyna), but it took them time to settle become regulars even before they excelled. I’m nt saying Eddie belongs there at that level with those guys, but it’s fair enough to say he isn’t complete garbage.
freddy, on the other hand, needs a wake up call. Here is a guy with UNDENIABLE talent. We’ve all seen it, from free kicks, to step over tricks, to threading passes, etc. However, I saw at the age of 16 this freddy adu kid had developed a star’s mentality with the ego that didn’t fit into the arenas he played in. Hs entire demeanor suggests an entitlement mentality, based on the idea that he is some sort of talisman. Honestly, just like with child actors, eventually freddy will have to drop the idea of who he thinks he shold be or should have been and reinvent himself as a footballer. Let’s face it, although he had shown immense talent for a 14-16 year old, the rest of the players around him have the sam talents. You’re not a kid anymore, freddy, so use twitter to keep your fans involved and stop acting like one posting about every decision and training session you have.
Aris = B Ethniki (duo fores)
“likes fast players that mark everywhere!”
I hope “mark everywhere” means something different in Greek, or your coach is going to be a little disappointed in our two lads.
Typical…..”Aris is a top 4 side”
Uhhhhh? Not even close bud. You know who owns northern Greece. They wear Black and White and booted you around the pitch to the tune of 4-1. They also beat you last year and then knocked you out of the cup for good measure.
Do not claim to be a “Top 4 team” when you are not one.
bla…bla… and nothing importand….
you really know which team is the greatest of northern Greece and it is Aris
you are just a guest here,in the city of god
ah!
your papa is arianos
Ari Ari Arianoi…..
link to youtube.com
Nice little 23K seat stadium there: link to upload.wikimedia.org
Aris-Boca
link to gallery.super3.gr
HELL!!
link to img134.imageshack.us
link to youtube.com
SO SIMPLE 1-4…
Furphy was the bomb. Wasn’t there some guy on the team that had a heart transplant?
paok who?
northern greece = ARIS
HAHAHAHAHAHA That game was like 10 years ago hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Face it skouliki, Aris is below PAOK and you are having trouble admitting it.
I’d be shocked if EJ doesn’t contribute in Greece. Freddy, not so much..
Now, if only these two could be one player.. then we’d have something special.
I am a fan of ARIS SALONICA from Barcelona, Spain. ARIS was one of the most famous european teams in Basketball during 80′s
This club has the most fanatic and supportive fans in all over the world you can find many videos in youtube..
Last years I try to learn the news of the football team as there are many spanish players (Tony Calvo,Koke,Javito) and I think that Jonhnson is very lucky for his choice..
I think that the level of Aris Salonica is better than many spanish teams (except probably the big clubs like Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Real M., Sevilla)
2 years ago Aris beated Real Zaragosa (with Milito, D’Allessandro and many other super stars) for UEFA Cup..
Good Luck to our favourite club Eddie..Vamos ARIS
i hope johnson makes an impact somewhere on the field. i know he’s a striker, but what if you test him out as a winger? just saying….
oh and i watch the greek league every weekend and the aris olympiakos game was nice. i’m def. going to follow aris in the coming months
Let’s play Eddie! It’s yet another move to yet another team, but perhaps the warmer weather and such will help. Perhaps this’ll be a chance to play and score some goals on a decent European team. As for Freddy…if it means playing, or a better chance of playing, do it! The more Yanks Abroad playing and scoring, the better.
P.S. Great post Alexeras, welcome to the SBI board.
that was phenomenal. i wish they could do a “thessaloniki isn’t ready for this” with EJ and Freddy sitting on recliners using mobile devices
But he was what he was, and no pixel jockey with a short memory is going to change that either
I still say the Mainz signing of Jeffrey is more news worthy than both Johnson and Adu together. Get over them already and begin focusing on development of the future.
Believe those fans. Other than fanboys and delusional/hopefull beyond reason/clueless Yanks, the word on EJ is 100% true. It will be no different in Greece. He just doesn’t know how to play soccer, and most here don’t realize the Greek league is better than they think. EJ was never all that successfull in MLS either, except for a couple of hot streaks. The insanity surrounding this player here, who has the soccer brain/thought process of an 8 year old is both hilarious and sad att he same time.
Shows the immaturity of US Soccer comprehension.
Greece may be perfect for Freddy however. Style, speed, way they play…I hope he helps. EJ? You’ll find out sso enough. Get ready to be disappointed as he will live up to all of his net crticism. There is no ceiling to reach. There is no potential there. Just a crappy player with zero soccer sense.
mousoudas said : toumpa listen. as for the black and white team (i dont know her name) was in a better position only the previous year. Dont forget all hte other years where was the possition of the team with two chicken heads. Regards poumba (sorry) toumpa….. and something last for you. Lets play with your great manager of your team. Zizis The number one famous manager…….. pou…. your team and …..
Good for Eddie! I hope he sees a lot of time, and gets on an Eddie Johnson Hot Streak heading into the WC. A healthy, hot, positive EJ can only help our forward pool.
I think Adu should ride it out in Europe for a bit longer and hopefully, he’s gaining a lot in training. Ultimately, I think MLS is the best fit for him, with a team who is willing to build around him and his talents (which won’t and shouldn’t happen in Europe).
alexaris,
welcome to SBI! Nice post. Thanks for your insight.
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
watch these videos and many more from the related and then tell me about no pressure and team nobody has heard of…of course greek league is bigger than many others in europe and surely better than mls,no doubt about it.vamos aris super 3 fanatics
haha…thank you zeke…someone on this post is actually an adult. Players don’t lose their ability within a few years, it’s all about the confidence and their form…it’s funny how many people hardly watch the game but can come on here and spew bull shit.
Amazing tifo!
Eddie’s first words after he landed in Greece:
“I thank Aris that gave me the opportunity to play in the Greek league. I’ll try to fulfill my goals, i ‘ll try to be successful and help my team. Me and my family are both happy.”
WELCOME EDDIE , ARIS FAMILIA SUPER 3
@Toumba , ARIS = o gamias tis manas sou
VAMOS EDDIE
It’s not like that…Greek league is not ancient Sparta,dude..