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On Saturday, the Washington Post's Steve Goff confirmed what many of us have suspected for weeks: D.C. United are actively pursuing a trade for the Seattle Sounders' Eddie Johnson. The Black-and-Red are reportedly among the final three teams still in pursuit of the United States international, along with the LA Galaxy and - probably - Chivas USA.
Must Reads
Must Reads
We've been speculating all off-season about the potential destination for EJ, with word that Seattle were shopping the striker coming shortly after their playoff exit. This week's trade sending the rights for Kenny Cooper to the Sounders added fuel to the fire and all but guaranteed that Johnson will not be in Seattle come the 2014 preseason. With Goff's report, we now have confirmation that D.C. United are in the running.
The Grown-Ass Man would be the type of top-line talent United need in the #9 spot providing the prototypical goal-scoring target forward Ben Olsen has coveted since taking the reigns at RFK Stadium, though there are legitimate worries based on the player's personal history (both distant and immediate). Check out the Must Reads section in this story for the point-counterpoint we ran on what was then United's purely speculative pursuit of EJ earlier this offseason. (Edit: And also be sure to check out Phillip Quinn's FanPost pleading with Dave Kasper to pull the damn trigger on this trade.)
With the report that United would send allocation money Seattle's way in exchange for the well-traveled, what are your thoughts on the potential trade? Is the deal still worth pursuing if D.C. have to make Johnson a Designated Player to land him? Share your thoughts in the comments.
