When Eddie Johnson came on as a substitute for Davy Arnaud in the 60th minute of last Saturday's second leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinals for D.C. United, fans of the Black-and-Red were hoping that he would be the spark up front that would propel the team to a come-from-behind victory in the series against the New York Red Bulls. However, according to Eddie Johnson's words today, it's probably a miracle that he was even on the field.

#DCU's Eddie Johnson told me he was hospitalized overnight last Thu because of dehydration & other issues. Didn't start in 2nd leg Sat

— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) November 12, 2025

EJ says he wasn't feeling good late on Thursday evening, went to the hospital late that night @ 2AM. Was dehydrated, stayed overnight. #DCU

— Pablo Maurer (@MLSist) November 12, 2025

Dehydration is a serious concern, particularly for an athlete preparing for an important playoff game. While soccer players in the playoffs are likely never at 100%, this bout of dehydration was certainly one that concerned Eddie personally:

EJ: "I was really scared." Got a CAT scan, EKG, etc - blood pressure was high, etc. #DCU #MLS

— Pablo Maurer (@MLSist) November 12, 2025

DCist's Pablo Maurer was able to chronicle more of Eddie's Johnson's illness:

Here's Eddie Johnson on his illness last week that potentially contributed to his not starting in #DCU's second leg: pic.twitter.com/0nUNgxkRXE

— Pablo Maurer (@MLSist) November 12, 2025

It's a shame that this hit Eddie Johnson just before the biggest game of the season for United, but he was still able to provide some quality minutes and press the issue until the final whistle. Who knows what may have happened if EJ was available the entire game.