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Gallery: Nine for No. 9 - #ThanksEJ
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U.S. international striker Eddie Johnson announced his retirement from professional soccer. The 31-year-old veteran of the 2006 FIFA World Cup finished his career with 19 goals in 63 caps. He tallied an impressive 12 goals in 19 World Cup qualifying appearances, the best WCQ strike rate in team history. The only U.S. player to score hat trick coming off the bench, Johnson will famously be remembered for scoring the game-winning goal in the 2-0 win against Mexico on Sept. 10, 2013 in Columbus that secured the USA’s ticket to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Johnson received his first cap and scored his first goal for the Senior National Team against El Salvador on October 9, 2004, becoming one of a small group of American players to get his first international goal in a World Cup qualifier.
He scored four goals for the USA at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates and notched one assist to win the tournament's Golden Shoe as the top scorer. The Bunnell, Fla., native also represented the United States at the U-20 and U-23 levels.
