William David Johnson (born January 21, 1987) is a Canadian

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who plays for Central Florida Panthers in the

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's association football, soccer league. The NPSL is a semi-professional league, comprising some teams that have paid players and some that are entirely amateur. The league is officially ...

and the Central Florida Crusaders in the

National Indoor Soccer League The National Indoor Soccer League (NISL) is an indoor soccer league that began play in 2021 and is based in the Southeast United States. The league fields men's and women's divisions. On March 24, 2021, the league announced its partnership with N ...

. A versatile

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

, Johnson has represented

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

internationally.

Club career

Youth

Johnson was born in Canada, but moved shortly afterwards to England where he started playing soccer, attending the Merchant Taylors' School in

Crosby Crosby may refer to: Places ;Canada *Crosby, Ontario, part of the township of Rideau Lakes, Ontario *Crosby, Ontario, a neighbourhood in the city of Markham, Ontario ;England *Crosby, Cumbria *Crosby, Lincolnshire *Crosby, Merseyside ** Crosby (U ...

, near

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

. When he was 10 his family once again moved, this time to

Woodridge, Illinois Woodridge is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, with small portions in Will County, Illinois, Will and Cook County, Illinois, Cook counties, and a south-western suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population w ...

, and he played youth soccer for the Sockers FC Chicago. Johnson later returned to England to play for the youth team of

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...

in the 2003–04 season. However, after the season he left Blackburn and returned to Illinois. He was on the roster of

Chicago Fire Reserves Chicago Fire U-23 was an American soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 2001, the team last played in the PDL, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. They last played in 2016, choosing to leave the PDL. Th ...

in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

, but did not feature in any PDL games.

Chicago Fire

In 2005, Johnson was signed by the Chicago Fire as a discovery player. Johnson played most of the year for the reserve team in the

MLS Reserve League The MLS Reserve League was a soccer league for the reserve teams of Major League Soccer with teams in both the United States and Canada. It was inaugurated on April 9, 2005, with the first official reserve game being a 2–0 victory by Chivas ...

but he did play in six games for the first team, where he scored a goal. After the year the Fire offered him a $28,000 contract, which he rejected. Johnson then went on a trial with

Heerenveen Heerenveen (, fry, It Hearrenfean ) is a town and municipality in the province of Friesland (Fryslân), in the Northern Netherlands. In 2021, the town had a population of 29,790 (1 January) while the municipality had a population 50,859 (1 July). ...

, which was successful, and they signed him to a one-year deal plus a club option for two more years.

Heerenveen

He made 14 appearances, all as a sub, for Heerenveen in the 2006–2007 season, scoring the second goal in a 2–0 defeat of

NEC Nijmegen NEC Nijmegen (''Nijmegen Eendracht Combinatie''), commonly known as NEC (), is a professional Dutch association football club based in Nijmegen. The club currently competes in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, following promotion fr ...

on December 27, 2006. For the 2007–2008 season he was on loan to

Doetinchem Doetinchem (; Low Saxon: ) is a city and municipality in the east of the Netherlands. It is situated along the Oude IJssel (Old IJssel) river in a part of the province of Gelderland called the Achterhoek. The municipality had a population of in ...

side

De Graafschap VBV De Graafschap () is a professional football club from Doetinchem, Netherlands, playing in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football. It was formed on 1 February 1954 and they play their home games at the De Vijverberg stadium. ...

, who were promoted as champions of the Dutch

Eerste Divisie The Eerste Divisie (, en, First Division) is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie and with the third-level Tweede Divisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as the ...

. Again he mostly made sub appearances and he returned to SC Heerenveen for the 2008–09 season. While back training in Heerenveen for preseason, MLS team Real Salt Lake offered Johnson a contract, which he accepted.

Real Salt Lake

Johnson signed with

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

on August 16, 2008. Chicago traded his rights to

Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake, often shortened to RSL, is an American professional soccer franchise based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes as a member club of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Western Conference. RSL began play in 20 ...

in return for a conditional 4th round pick in the

2009 MLS SuperDraft The 2009 MLS SuperDraft took place on January 15, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the tenth annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The first selection was owned by the expansion Seattle Sounders FC. Unlike previous years, the SuperDraft wa ...

and a 2nd round pick in the

2011 MLS SuperDraft The 2011 MLS SuperDraft was the twelfth annual SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. It was held on January 13, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland, during the 2011 NSCAA Convention at the Baltimore Convention Center. The 2011 SuperDraft consiste ...

. Johnson won the

MLS Goal of the Year Award Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

in 2008 for a goal scored against

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise be ...

on October, 18 in

Rio Tinto Stadium America First Field (formerly Rio Tinto Stadium and referred to as The RioT) is an American soccer-specific stadium in Sandy, Utah, that serves as home stadium for Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake. The stadium opened on October 9, 2008, ...

. He was called up for the 2009

MLS All-Star Game The Major League Soccer All-Star Game is an annual soccer game held by Major League Soccer featuring selected players from the league against an international club or selected players from Liga MX. MLS initially adopted a traditional all-star ga ...

against English

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

side Everton. He was one of three players to score their penalties in the penalty shootout against American goalkeeper Tim Howard. He started and played 45 minutes for Real Salt Lake in the

2009 MLS Cup MLS Cup 2009 was the 14th edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS). The soccer match took place on November 22, 2009, at Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington, and was contested between the Los Angeles Galaxy a ...

final against the

Los Angeles Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began play ...

despite a bout with

food poisoning Foodborne illness (also foodborne disease and food poisoning) is any illness resulting from the spoilage of contaminated food by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites that contaminate food, as well as prions (the agents of mad cow disease) ...

, with his side ultimately winning in a penalty shootout.

Portland Timbers

Johnson was traded to the

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...

on December 3, 2012, as part of a salary cap issue, along with the trade or release of six other Real Salt Lake players, including starters

Jámison Olave Jámison Olave Mosquera (born April 21, 1981) is a Colombian former footballer who is currently the head coach of USL Championship side Real Monarchs. Career Olave began his career with Deportivo Cali in 2001. He played on loan for a multitud ...

Fabián Espíndola Edgar Fabián Espíndola (born 4 May 1985) is an Argentine footballer who plays as a forward. Club career Early career Espíndola started his career in 2005 with Argentine giants Boca Juniors. He played six games for the club, but Boca failed ...

, and substitute

Jonny Steele Jonathan Steele (born 7 February 1986) is a Northern Irish professional footballer. He has also received three caps for the Northern Ireland national team. Early life Steele was raised in a Catholic family along with three brothers in the pre ...

. Johnson was named team captain by coach

Caleb Porter Caleb Porter (born February 18, 1975) is an American soccer coach who most recently served as the head coach of Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew from 2019 to 2022. He was previously head coach of the Portland Timbers from 2013 until 201 ...

on February 26, 2013; former team captain

Jack Jewsbury Jack Jewsbury (born April 13, 1981) is a retired American soccer player who played primarily as a midfielder. Upon his retirement in 2016, Jewsbury was one of ten players to have appeared in more than 350 matches in Major League Soccer. Career Y ...

was renamed club captain. On March 30, 2013, Johnson scored his first goal for Portland against

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, la ...

scoring both goals in 2–2 draw, he was awarded MLS player of the week for his performance. Johnson was put on the 2014 MLS All Star roster. He was brought in at halftime, became captain at the 73rd minute after

Landon Donovan Landon Timothy Donovan (born March 4, 1982) is an American former professional soccer player. Donovan is also the co-founder and vice-president of soccer operations for USL Championship side San Diego Loyal SC, and serves as strategic advisor fo ...

was substituted, and at the 88th minute received a yellow card for a hard tackle on Bayern midfielder

Bastian Schweinsteiger Bastian Schweinsteiger (; born 1 August 1984) is a German former professional footballer who usually played as a central midfielder. Earlier in his career, he primarily played as a wide midfielder. Schweinsteiger is regarded as one of the great ...

, the latter received a bruised ankle and had to exit what would be his last game until November. A collision with

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BMO ...

defender

Mark Bloom Mark Bloom (born November 25, 1987) is a retired American soccer player. Bloom played as a defender. Career Youth and amateur Born in Marietta, Georgia, Bloom played college soccer at Berry College, where he was a second-team All-Southern Stat ...

early in the September 27, 2014 game fractured the tibia and fibula in Johnson's right leg, ending his season early.

Toronto FC

In December 2015, Johnson was traded to

in exchange for a conditional second-round pick in the

2017 MLS SuperDraft The 2017 MLS SuperDraft was the eighteenth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held each year in conjunction with the annual National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention. The first two rounds of the 2017 S ...

and targeted allocation money. On May 1, 2016, he scored his first goal for Toronto in a 2–1 away defeat to his former team, the Portland Timbers. On June 29, 2016, he scored the winning goal in the 95th minute of the

Canadian Championship The Canadian Championship (french: Championnat canadien) is an annual soccer tournament contested by premier Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and Canada's berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. It is contest ...

for Toronto to defeat the

Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March ...

2–2 on aggregate, winning on

away goals The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the team that ...

. In scoring that goal, Johnson collided with Whitecaps goalkeeper

David Ousted David Ousted Hansen (born 1 February 1985) is a retired Danish footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played with SønderjyskE and Randers in the Danish Superliga, before moving to the Major League Soccer in 2013 where he went on to represe ...

, resulting in a tibial plateau fracture of his left leg.

Orlando City SC

In December 2016,

Orlando City SC Orlando City SC is an American professional soccer club in Orlando, Florida, that competes as a member of the Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). Orlando City SC began play in 2015 as the 21st franchise in MLS, succeeding the USL ...

announced that they had signed Johnson to a two-year contract, with an option for a third year. Johnson's contract expired after the 2019 season. He retired from professional soccer shortly after, taking up a financial advisor role with

Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment management and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in more than 41 countries and more than 75,000 employees, the fir ...

Central Florida Panthers/Crusaders

On May 2, 2021, Johnson made a return to soccer, signing as a player and player-mentor with developmental NPSL team Central Florida Panthers. In August 2022, he signed with the Central Florida Crusaders of the

International career

In the summers of 2005 and 2007, Johnson played for the U-20 Canadian national team at the

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

and 2007 World Youth Championships in the Netherlands and Canada respectively. Johnson also played very well for the Canada U-23 side during the 2008 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Johnson scored three goals in three games during the tournament. However, Canada failed to qualify for the Olympics after falling 3–0 to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in the semifinals. He made his senior debut for

in a November 2005 friendly match against

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

. By December 2009, he had earned a total of 10 caps, scoring no goals. He has so far represented Canada in two FIFA Tournaments Johnson provided the assist to

André Hainault André Hainault (born June 17, 1986) is a former Canadian international Association football, soccer player who last played as a Defender (association football), defender for 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Club career Czech Republic Born in Vaudreu ...

winning goal against

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

on March 29, 2011. He scored his first international goal in a World Cup Qualifying match against

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindian ...

on September 2, 2011. On June 27, 2013, Johnson was listed as a part of the confirmed 23-man squad for Colin Miller's Canada squad for the

2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 12th CONCACAF Gold Cup competition and the 22nd CONCACAF regional championship overall in CONCACAF's fifty years of existence. The United States was the host nation. The competition began on 7 July 2013 at the ...

, making it his third consecutive Gold Cup. Miller named Johnson as team captain for the tournament. On December 12, 2013, Johnson was awarded the Canadian Men's Player of the Year by the

CSA CSA may refer to: Arts and media * Canadian Screen Awards, annual awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television * Commission on Superhuman Activities, a fictional American government agency in Marvel Comics * Crime Syndicate of Amer ...

for the first time of his career. Johnson beat out two-time winner

Atiba Hutchinson Atiba Hutchinson (born 8 February 1983) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder and captains both Süper Lig club Beşiktaş and the Canada national team. While playing in Denmark he won the Danish Super Liga Player o ...

who was voted second and

Patrice Bernier Patrice Bernier (born September 23, 1979) is a Canadian retired professional soccer player. A long-time mainstay of the Canada national team, the midfielder played the majority of his career with Montreal Impact in addition to playing in Denm ...

in third for the award. After almost two years since his last call-up, during which he dealt with illness, injuries, and personal commitments, Johnson was recalled to the national team by Canada coach

Benito Floro Benito Floro Sanz (born 2 June 1952) is a Spanish football manager. Football career Floro was born in Gijón, Asturias. During his professional career he managed Albacete Balompié (two spells, starting off in 1989 in Segunda División B and le ...

for

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification process was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations to decide 31 of the 32 teams which would play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with Russia qualifying automatically as hosts. All 210 ...

matches against

Dominica Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...

on June 2, 2015. In May 2019,

John Herdman John Herdman (born 19 July 1975) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager who is the head coach of the Canada men's national soccer team, Canada men's national team. Coaching career Early career Herdman beg ...

recalled Johnson to the national team for the

2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 15th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's soccer championship of the North, Central American, and Caribbean region organized by CONCACAF. The tournament was primarily hosted in th ...

Personal life

Johnson's grandfather is

Brian Birch Brian Birch (18 November 1931–1989) was an English footballer who played for several English clubs in the late 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s. Born in Salford, Birch joined Manchester United as a 14-year-old in May 1946, before turning profess ...

, who had a successful career with

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...

, including an FA Cup winners medal in 1958. Johnson was married to Caroline Childs. They have a daughter, Arabella Capri, born October 2012, and a son, Jaxx Beckett, born September 5, 2014. Johnson also holds U.S. citizenship. On September 6, 2017, Johnson was arrested on a domestic battery charge against his wife, and suspended from the team while the incident was being investigated by both local police and the league. No charges were brought and in October 2017 Johnson was reinstated by the league.

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals

: ''Canada score listed first, score column indicates score after each Johnson goal.''

Honours

Club

Real Salt Lake *

MLS Cup The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conference ...

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

Portland Timbers *

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

Toronto FC *

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

Trillium Cup The Trillium Cup is an annual rivalry between the Columbus Crew and Toronto FC. The Trillium Cup is named after the trillium, which is both the official flower of the Canadian province of Ontario, and the official wildflower of the U.S. state of ...

: 2016

Individual

MLS All-Star The Major League Soccer All-Star Game is an annual Association football, soccer game held by Major League Soccer featuring selected players from the league against an international club or selected players from Liga MX. MLS initially adopted a tr ...

(3) : 2009, 2013, 2014 *

MLS Best XI The MLS Best XI is an annual acknowledgment of the best eleven players in Major League Soccer. Winners *Players in bold were awarded the Landon Donovan MVP Award for that season. Most appearances by a player The following players have appeared ...

: 2013 * Timbers Supporters Player of the Year: 2013 *

Canadian Player of the Year The Canada Soccer Player of the Year award celebrates Canada's top male and female soccer players in recognition of their achievements with both the national teams and their respective clubs. Since 2007, voting has been conducted by Canadian coac ...

: 2013 *

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

Goal of the Year: 2008

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Will 1987 births Living people Soccer players from Toronto People from Woodridge, Illinois Association football forwards Canadian soccer players Canada men's youth international soccer players Canada men's under-23 international soccer players Canada men's international soccer players 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Canadian expatriate soccer players Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands Chicago Fire U-23 players Chicago Fire FC players SC Heerenveen players De Graafschap players Real Salt Lake players Portland Timbers players Portland Timbers 2 players Toronto FC players Eredivisie players Major League Soccer players USL Championship players Expatriate soccer players in the United States Expatriate footballers in the Netherlands Major League Soccer All-Stars Canadian people of English descent Orlando City SC players 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup players National Premier Soccer League players Indoor soccer players

Club career

Youth

Chicago Fire

Heerenveen

Real Salt Lake

Portland Timbers

Toronto FC

Orlando City SC

Central Florida Panthers/Crusaders

International career

Personal life

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals

Honours

Club

Individual

See also

References

External links