Caught in Possession

Well, of course I had to drop in on the U.S. Men's National Team training sessions this week, since they're in town and all, and World Cup Qualifiers don't happen at RFK all that often (anymore). And of course I had to join the rest of the writerly herd in pestering USMNT media shepherd extraordinaire Michael Kammarman for a few quick interviews, and of course the ever-sardonic but equally-helpful Kammarman came up trumps -- I got good stuff from the likes of Bob Bradley, Troy Perkins and Gooch Onyewu, so stay tuned for future copy on those fronts.

I am a bit flabbergasted at the idea that it's been four years since the last WCQ in DC. That 6-0 drubbing of Panama lingers in my mind, if only because I got to sit in the stands and take it all in with a good friend, and act like a normal fan -- I think I might've even drank a beer -- not a working journo sitting high up in the press box.

And that night is also pleasantly sepia-toned because it kicked off what you might call a brief "Age of Innocence" regarding my perception of Eddie Johnson. Yes, that was when the oh-so-talented and oh-so-infuriating American striker snatched that rarest of feats, an off-the-bench hat trick that made Panama's defense look extra-pedestrian and seemed to kick off what we all thought would be a glittering international career.

But the GAM (Grown-Ass Man) has rarely reached such heights in the ensuing four years and in fact his absence from the ongoing USMNT camp has sparked somewhat of a celebration among certain sections of the Nats support, as younger bucks like Jozy Altidore, Freddy Adu and Jose Francisco Torres have been given priority. Meanwhile, Johnson seems to have become the Brazil of the USMNT, if you will -- as in the cynical old canard that once summed up the general international outlook on that South American nation: "It's a land of great potential, and it always will be."

Which gets me to wondering...isn't it statistically probable that someone in the current camp -- maybe even one of the darlings of the moment -- will see his career path wander and stagnate, and someday be burdened with that same perception? Who will the increasingly demanding, and fickle, US fanbase turn on next?







*HT to Sideline Views for the EJ image