Will Johnson
Encyclopedia
William "Will" Johnson is a Canadian
soccer player who currently plays for Real Salt Lake
in Major League Soccer
and the Canada national soccer team
.
where he started playing soccer, attending the Merchant Taylors' School
in Crosby
, near Liverpool
. When he was 10 his family once again moved, this time to Woodridge, Illinois
, and he played youth soccer for the Chicago Sockers. Johnson later returned to England to play for the youth team of Blackburn Rovers
in the 2003-04 season. However, after the season he left Blackburn and returned to Illinois. He was on the roster of Chicago Fire Premier
in the USL Premier Development League
, but did not feature in any PDL games.
side De Graafschap
, who were promoted as champions of the Dutch First Division
. Again he mostly made sub appearances and he returned to SC Heerenveen for the 2008-09 season. While back training in Heerenveen for preseason, Real Salt Lake offered Will a contract and a new opportunity which he accepted and decided to depart Holland for the United States.
on August 16, 2008. Chicago Fire
traded his rights to Real Salt Lake
in return for a conditional 4th round 2009 MLS Superdraft pick and a conditional 2nd round 2011 MLS Superdraft pick.
Johnson won the MLS Goal of the Year in 2008 for a goal scored against FC Dallas
on October, 18 in Rio Tinto Stadium. He was called up for the 2009 MLS All-Star Game against English Premier League side Everton F.C.
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 final against the Los Angeles Galaxy
despite a bout with food poisoning, with his side ultimately winning in a penalty shootout.
and 2007 World Youth Championships in the Netherlands and Canada respectively. Johnson also played very well for the Canada U-23 side during qualifying for the 2008 Olympics. Johnson scored 3 goals in 3 games during those matches.
He made his senior debut for Canada
in a November 2005 friendly match against Luxembourg
. By December 2009, he had earned a total of 10 caps, scoring no goals. He has so far represented Canada in 2 FIFA World Cup qualification
matches. Johnson provided the assist to André Hainault winning goal against Belarus
on March 29, 2011. He scored his first international goal in a World Cup Qualifying
match against Saint Lucia
on September 2, 2011.
| 1. || September 2, 2011 || BMO Field
, Toronto
, Canada || || 4–1 || 4–1 || 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
|-
|}
who had a successful career with Bolton Wanderers
, picking up an FA Cup winners medal in 1958.
Engaged in 2010 to long time girlfriend, Caroline Childs.
Last updated on November 24, 2011
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
soccer player who currently plays for Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake is an American professional soccer club based in Sandy, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. The team competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. They currently play their home games at Rio Tinto Stadium. Real Salt Lake won...
in Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
and the Canada national soccer team
Canada men's national soccer team
The Canada men's national soccer team represents Canada in international soccer competitions at the senior men's level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association and compete in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football .Their most significant...
.
Youth
Johnson was born in Canada, but moved shortly afterwards to EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
where he started playing soccer, attending the Merchant Taylors' School
Merchant Taylors' School, Crosby
Merchant Taylors' School, Crosby is a British independent school for day pupils, located in Great Crosby on Merseyside....
in Crosby
Crosby, Merseyside
Crosby is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, in Merseyside, England. Historically part of Lancashire it is situated north of Bootle, south of Southport, Formby and west of Netherton-History:...
, near Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. When he was 10 his family once again moved, this time to Woodridge, Illinois
Woodridge, Illinois
Woodridge is a suburb of Chicago, located primarily in DuPage County, Illinois with portions in Will County and Cook County. It uses the 630 and 331 area codes. The population was 30,934 at the 2000 census. A special census commissioned in 2003 put the population at 33,253...
, and he played youth soccer for the Chicago Sockers. Johnson later returned to England to play for the youth team of Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
in the 2003-04 season. However, after the season he left Blackburn and returned to Illinois. He was on the roster of Chicago Fire Premier
Chicago Fire Premier
Chicago Fire Premier is an American soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 2001, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Great Lakes Division of the Central Conference.The team plays its home games at...
in the USL Premier Development League
USL Premier Development League
The USL Premier Development League is the amateur league of the United Soccer Leagues in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda, forming part of the American Soccer Pyramid...
, 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 but he did play in six games for the senior 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, which was successful, and they signed him to a one year deal plus a club option for 2 more years.Netherlands
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 on 27 December 2006. For the 2007-2008 season he was on loan to DoetinchemDoetinchem
Doetinchem is a city and municipality in the east of the Netherlands. It is situated along the Oude IJssel river in a part of the province of Gelderland called the Achterhoek . The municipality has 56,700 inhabitants and has an area of 79.66 km²...
side De Graafschap
De Graafschap
De Graafschap is a professional football club from Doetinchem, Netherlands. It was formed on 1 February 1954 and they play their home games at the "De Vijverberg" stadium. Their current home ground stands on where the old pitch used to be located and was opened on 12 August 2000...
, who were promoted as champions of the Dutch First Division
Eerste Divisie
The Eerste Divisie is the second-highest division of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via a promotion/relegation system. It is also known as the Jupiler League due to sponsorship, which is the same name as the top league in Belgium...
. Again he mostly made sub appearances and he returned to SC Heerenveen for the 2008-09 season. While back training in Heerenveen for preseason, Real Salt Lake offered Will a contract and a new opportunity which he accepted and decided to depart Holland for the United States.
Real Salt Lake
Johnson signed with Major League SoccerMajor League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
on August 16, 2008. Chicago Fire
Chicago Fire (soccer)
Chicago Fire Soccer Club is an American professional soccer club based in the Chicago suburb of Bridgeview, Illinois. The team competes in Major League Soccer , the top soccer league in the United States and Canada...
traded his rights to Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake is an American professional soccer club based in Sandy, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. The team competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. They currently play their home games at Rio Tinto Stadium. Real Salt Lake won...
in return for a conditional 4th round 2009 MLS Superdraft pick and a conditional 2nd round 2011 MLS Superdraft pick.
Johnson won the MLS Goal of the Year in 2008 for a goal scored against FC Dallas
FC Dallas
FC Dallas is an American professional soccer club based in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada...
on October, 18 in Rio Tinto Stadium. He was called up for the 2009 MLS All-Star Game against English Premier League side Everton F.C.
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
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 final against the Los Angeles Galaxy
Los Angeles Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional soccer team, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, and the league's second...
despite a bout with food poisoning, with his side ultimately winning in a penalty shootout.
International career
In the summers of 2005 and 2007, Johnson played for the U-20 Canadian national team at the 20052005 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in The Netherlands between 10 June and 2 July 2005. The 2005 championship was the 15th contested.- Venues :- Qualification :The following 24 teams qualified for the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship...
and 2007 World Youth Championships in the Netherlands and Canada respectively. Johnson also played very well for the Canada U-23 side during qualifying for the 2008 Olympics. Johnson scored 3 goals in 3 games during those matches.
He made his senior debut for Canada
Canada men's national soccer team
The Canada men's national soccer team represents Canada in international soccer competitions at the senior men's level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association and compete in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football .Their most significant...
in a November 2005 friendly match against Luxembourg
Luxembourg national football team
The Luxembourg national football team is the national football team of Luxembourg, and is controlled by the Luxembourg Football Federation. The team play most of their home matches at the Stade Josy Barthel, in Luxembourg.- History :...
. By December 2009, he had earned a total of 10 caps, scoring no goals. He has so far represented Canada in 2 FIFA World Cup qualification
FIFA World Cup qualification
The FIFA World Cup qualification is the process that a national association football team goes through to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Finals. The FIFA World Cup is a global event, so qualification is required to reduce the large field of participants from about 200 to 32.Qualifying tournaments...
matches. Johnson provided the assist to André Hainault winning goal against Belarus
Belarus national football team
The Belarus national football team represents Belarus in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Belarus, the governing body for football in Belarus. Belarus' home ground is Dinamo Stadium in Minsk...
on March 29, 2011. He scored his first international goal in a World Cup Qualifying
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
The CONCACAF qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup will see teams competing for places at the finals in Brazil.As in recent tournaments, CONCACAF will have three direct qualifiers for the finals tournament in addition to a further possible place via the inter-confederation play-offs against the...
match against Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia national football team
The Saint Lucia national football team is the national association football team of Saint Lucia and it represents that country in international football matches. It is controlled by the St...
on September 2, 2011.
International goals
|-| 1. || September 2, 2011 || BMO Field
BMO Field
BMO Field is a Canadian soccer stadium located in Exhibition Place in the city of Toronto. The open-air structure can seat up to 21,800 spectators, depending on seating configurations. It is owned by the City of Toronto, and managed by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada || || 4–1 || 4–1 || 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
The 2014 FIFA World Cup will feature 32 teams. One place was allocated to the hosts, , but no automatic place is given to the defending champions, . The remaining 31 places will be determined by a qualification process, in which entrants from among the other 207 teams from the six FIFA...
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|}
Personal
Johnson's grandfather is Brian BirchBrian Birch (footballer born 1938)
Brian Birch, , is a retired English footballer who played for the majority of his career at Bolton Wanderers. He played mostly as a winger....
who had a successful career with Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
, picking up an FA Cup winners medal in 1958.
Real Salt Lake
- Major League SoccerMajor League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
MLS Cup (1): 20092009 Major League Soccer seasonThe 2009 Major League Soccer season was the 14th season of Major League Soccer. The season began on March 19 and ended with Real Salt Lake winning the MLS Cup 2009, on November 22 at Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington-Changes from the 2008 season:... - Major League SoccerMajor League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
Eastern Conference Championship (1): 20092009 Major League Soccer seasonThe 2009 Major League Soccer season was the 14th season of Major League Soccer. The season began on March 19 and ended with Real Salt Lake winning the MLS Cup 2009, on November 22 at Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington-Changes from the 2008 season:...
Individual
- MLSMajor League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
Goal of the Year: 2008 - University of UtahUniversity of UtahThe University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
Honors Business Student
Club Statistics
| Club | Nat | Season | League | League | Playoff | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| Chicago Fire Chicago Fire (soccer) Chicago Fire Soccer Club is an American professional soccer club based in the Chicago suburb of Bridgeview, Illinois. The team competes in Major League Soccer , the top soccer league in the United States and Canada... |
 United States |
2005 | MLS Major League Soccer Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada... |
6 | 1 | - | - | - | 6 | 1 | |||
| SC Heerenveen |  Netherlands |
2006-07 | Eredivisie Eredivisie The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA.... |
14 | 1 | - | - | - | 14 | 1 | |||
| De Graafschap De Graafschap De Graafschap is a professional football club from Doetinchem, Netherlands. It was formed on 1 February 1954 and they play their home games at the "De Vijverberg" stadium. Their current home ground stands on where the old pitch used to be located and was opened on 12 August 2000... (on loan) |
Netherlands |
2007-08 | Eredivisie Eredivisie The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA.... |
26 | 2 | - | - | - | 26 | 2 | |||
| Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake is an American professional soccer club based in Sandy, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. The team competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. They currently play their home games at Rio Tinto Stadium. Real Salt Lake won... |
United States |
2008 2008 Major League Soccer season The 2008 Major League Soccer season was the 13th season in league history. The season began on March 29 and ended with MLS Cup 2008, on November 23 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California.-Changes from the 2007 season:... |
MLS Major League Soccer Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada... |
9 | 2 | 3 | 0 | - | - | 12 | 2 | ||
| 2009 2009 Major League Soccer season The 2009 Major League Soccer season was the 14th season of Major League Soccer. The season began on March 19 and ended with Real Salt Lake winning the MLS Cup 2009, on November 22 at Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington-Changes from the 2008 season:... |
26 | 1 | 4 | 0 | - | - | 30 | 1 | |||||
| 2010 2010 Major League Soccer season The 2010 Major League Soccer season was the 98th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer, the 32nd with a national first-division league, in the United States and Canada, and the 15th in MLS history. It began on March 25 at Seattle's Qwest Field with Seattle Sounders FC defeating the expansion... |
28 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 38 | 6 | |||
| 2011 2011 Major League Soccer season The 2011 Major League Soccer season was the 99th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer, the 33rd with a national first-division league, in the United States and Canada, and the 16th season of Major League Soccer. The season marked the arrival of two new league clubs, Portland Timbers and Vancouver... |
25 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 36 | 2 | |||
| Club total | 88 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 3 | 116 | 11 | |||
| Career total | 134 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 3 | 162 | 15 | |||
Last updated on November 24, 2011
External links
- MLS player profile
- Will Johnson's Profile at Canadian Soccer AssociationCanadian Soccer AssociationThe Canadian Soccer Association is the governing body of soccer in Canada. It is a national organization that oversees the Canadian men's and women's national teams for international play, as well as the respective junior sides...