Ryan Johnson (footballer, born 1984)

2.1. Birth and Youth

Ryan Johnson was born on November 26, 1984, in Kingston, Jamaica. While still an infant, his family relocated to the Boston area in the United States, where he spent his childhood.

2.2. High School and College Career

Johnson attended Melrose High School in Massachusetts, where he excelled in both soccer and basketball. During his high school career, he earned recognition as a Middlesex League and Eastern Mass League soccer all-star. He later received a sports scholarship to Oregon State University, where he played college soccer from 2002 to 2005. Over four seasons, Johnson appeared in 76 matches, scoring 18 goals and providing 30 assists. In addition to his college career, he spent two seasons playing in the USL Premier Development League (now USL League Two), representing the Cape Cod Crusaders and Boulder Rapids Reserve.

3.1. Early MLS Career and European Stint

Johnson began his professional career when he was drafted in the third round, 26th overall, by Real Salt Lake in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft. After making only 7 appearances for Real Salt Lake, Johnson was traded on July 25, 2006, to Chicago Fire in exchange for defender Jack Stewart. He played in 3 matches for the Fire for the remainder of the 2006 season before his contract was not renewed.

In early 2007, Johnson pursued opportunities in Europe, undergoing trials with several clubs in Scandinavia. He secured a short-term contract with Swedish club Östers IF, then playing in the Superettan (Sweden's second tier), from March to July 2007. However, due to an abundance of center forwards at Östers IF, his contract was not extended. Later in 2007, he had a trial with Norwegian club FK Bodø/Glimt, where he notably scored the final goal in an 8-1 friendly victory against Leknes FK. Following his European endeavors, Johnson had a brief stint playing indoor soccer for the New Jersey Ironmen.

3.2. San Jose Earthquakes and Toronto FC

In 2008, Johnson returned to Major League Soccer, signing with the San Jose Earthquakes. He quickly established himself, and by the end of the 2009 MLS season, he was named the team's Most Valuable Player (MVP) as their leading goalscorer. His impactful performances contributed to the Earthquakes reaching the semifinals of the MLS Cup in 2010.

On July 14, 2011, Johnson was traded from San Jose to Toronto FC, along with an international roster spot and allocation money, in exchange for Nana Attakora, Alan Gordon, and Jacob Peterson. He made his debut for Toronto on July 20 in a 1-0 home loss to FC Dallas. Just three days later, on July 23, Johnson scored his first goal for Toronto and assisted on a goal by Danny Koevermans in a 4-2 away defeat against Sporting Kansas City. Johnson continued his strong form in the CONCACAF Champions League, scoring a superb volley in the 37th minute and another goal in the 47th minute from a misplaced pass by the Real Estelí FC goalkeeper on August 2, 2011. These two goals secured Toronto FC's advancement to the group stage for the second consecutive year with a 4-2 aggregate score.



Johnson's goal-scoring prowess continued into the beginning of the 2012 season, as he scored in both legs of the CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinals against LA Galaxy. He also scored against Seattle Sounders FC on March 17, with that particular goal earning him the "Goal of the Week" award. His outstanding contributions throughout the 2012 Canadian Championship led to him being awarded the George Gross Memorial Trophy as the tournament's best player, helping Toronto FC win the championship. He also contributed to Toronto FC reaching the semifinals of the 2011-12 CONCACAF Champions League.

3.3. Portland Timbers and Asian Leagues

On December 12, 2012, Johnson was traded to the Portland Timbers along with goalkeeper Miloš Kocić in exchange for Joe Bendik, a first-round pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft, and allocation money.



After his time with Portland, Johnson transferred to Chinese Super League newcomer Henan Jianye on February 27, 2014. The following year, at the start of the 2015 season, he joined the newly formed Korean K League 2 club Seoul E-Land FC as a founding member. Under the guidance of former Vancouver Whitecaps FC manager Martin Rennie and his assistant Dan Harris, Johnson made 32 appearances for Seoul E-Land, scoring one goal. He played a role in the team's fourth-place finish in the 2015 K League 2 season, which saw them advance to the semi-playoffs. However, outside of his periods with San Jose and Toronto, his impact was generally noted as limited.

3.4. Concluding Professional Career

In March 2016, Johnson signed with Rayo OKC in the North American Soccer League (NASL). However, his tenure with the club was brief, as he was released by Rayo OKC on May 26, 2016. His departure from Rayo OKC marked the end of his 14-year professional playing career.

4.1. National Team Debut and Early Appearances

Johnson made his international A-match debut for the Jamaica national football team on April 12, 2006, in a friendly match against the United States, playing for the first 70 minutes. His impressive performance during the 2009 MLS season earned him a recall to the national team in January 2010 for a friendly against Canada and another in February 2010 against Argentina. He scored his first national team goal in the latter match, a 2-1 loss to Argentina in Mar del Plata on February 10, 2010. Johnson continued his strong form by scoring the winning goal against Costa Rica in a friendly match in September 2010.

4.2. Participation in Major Tournaments and Key Goals

Johnson played a crucial role in Jamaica's international campaigns. In the 2010 Caribbean Championship held eight months after his debut goal, he scored the decisive goal against Guadeloupe in the second group stage match of Group B. This contribution helped Jamaica secure their fifth Caribbean Cup title and their eleventh qualification for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. In the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, he netted two goals, aiding his team in reaching the quarterfinals of the tournament.

On June 8, 2012, Johnson scored an additional goal in the first match of Group A in the third round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification against Guatemala at home, contributing to Jamaica's advancement to the final qualification round. His final A-match appearance came on October 15, 2013, against Honduras in the final round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification. Over his international career, Ryan Johnson earned 36 caps and scored 8 goals for the Jamaican national team.

4.3. International Goals

5.1. Club Achievements

• MLS Cup
  • San Jose Earthquakes: Semifinals (2010)
• Canadian Championship
  • Toronto FC: Winner (2012)
• CONCACAF Champions League
  • Toronto FC: Semifinals (2011-12)
• K League 2
  • Seoul E-Land FC: 4th Place (2015)

5.2. National Team Achievements

• Caribbean Cup
  • Jamaica: Winner (2010)

5.3. Individual Awards

• George Gross Memorial Trophy: 2012

6.1. Chicago Fire Youth Academy

In 2017, Johnson served as a technical committee member for the Florida branch of the Chicago Fire youth team, known as Florida Fire Juniors. This role allowed him to contribute his expertise to the development of young football talent.

6.2. RJ Soccer Training Center

Since 2018, Ryan Johnson has been operating his own football training center in Portland, Oregon, named the RJ Soccer Training Center. Through this center, he provides coaching and training services, continuing to contribute to the sport by nurturing future generations of players.