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Eddie Johnson's return to Major League Soccer was announced before it was signed, sealed and delivered, and as a result, his return is no longer a certainty or even probable at all.
"We had reached agreement, subject to formal documents," MLS executive vice president Todd Durbin said after it was revealed that the deal to put Johnson in the league's allocation order and assign him to a team was not on the table anymore. "It's unfortunate the player did not want to conclude a formal agreement, but we wish him well in his future endeavors."
Johnson's agent, Richard Motzkin, suggests that MLS might have jumped the gun on announcing the signing, because, according to him, a final agreement was never actually in place.
"We were in the final stages of negotiation with MLS but had never 'reached agreement, subject to formal documents,'" Motzkin said on his Twitter account.
So what's next for Johnson?
He could feasibly still sign with the league prior to the Sept. 15 roster deadline, because he is an out-of-contract player following the expiration of his deal with Fulham this summer.
Given the finality of Durbin's comments and the egg on the league's face, however, it doesn't appear that the league wishes to do business with the player anytime soon.
Reports suggest that one of Johnson's former clubs, Aris FC in Greece, is interested in his services, something that might be the 27-year-old striker's best bet at this point.
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What do you make of the Johnson mess? Do you want to see him return to MLS? Think the bridge has been burned?
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