Sam Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Will Johnson has made the move from RSL to Portland. Not sure how much of an effect this will have on his national team career, but it might put him in better stead for a leadership role, one which he will have to take during WCQ 2018. IMO Will Johnson is the best Canadian midfielder playing in MLS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nolando Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 The MLS trade window opens on Monday, and when it does open, Real Salt Lake will be at the forefront of a busy window filled with some blockbuster deals. RSL is set to trade centerback Jamison Olave and forward Fabian Espindola to the New York Red Bulls for a large amount of allocation money, pending league approval, multiple sources confirmed to Soccer By Ives on Sunday. The trade is one of several Real Salt Lake has lined up to reconfigure a team that had no choice but to change up its roster because of salary cap issues. RSL are also set to trade Canadian midfielder Will Johnson to the Portland Timbers for allocation money, sources confirmed to SBI. The Canadian national teamer has, along with Olave and Espindola, been a regular starter for RSL for years. The two major deals won’t be the only moves RSL makes in the coming days, with sources telling SBI that some other trades are also in the works. Several MLS teams have agreed to trades in recent days, but a league-wide moratorium on trades until after MLS Cup has kept those deals from being approved. By trading away Olave, Espindola and Johnson, RSL are set to save $1 million in salary, while generating more than $500,000 in allocation money, sources with knowledge of the deals confirmed to SBI. Losing Olave and Johnson are two big blows, but RSL is well-equipped to replace them, with highly-regarded centerback Schuler slated to step into the lineup and Luis Gil the natural replacement for Johnson. http://www.soccerbyives.net/2012/12/sources-olave-and-espindola-heading-to-rbny-johnson-going-to-portland-as-rsl-prepare-to-shake-up-roster.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Fire sale time at RSL. It would be nice if a Canadian team would pick him up but they are all too busy acquiring allocation money and international spots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finchster Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Fire sale time at RSL. It would be nice if a Canadian team would pick him up but they are all too busy acquiring allocation money and international spots. Came to post this, man would Johnson look sweet in a Caps kit instead of Barry Fucking Robson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmcmurph Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Came to post this, man would Johnson look sweet in a Caps kit instead of Barry Fucking Robson +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yohan Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Let's face it guys, we love Will Johnson because he plays for the badge and will run his ass off all game, but his offensive game is quite limited. Will Johnson at 150k is good, but Will Johnson at almost 250k is too pricey for what he brings to the table. I'd expect Johnson to play similar role that he played under Hart for Caleb Porter if he sticks with 4-3-3 in Portland. a two way workhorse in CM linking up with a better creative midfielder. Should be a good fit for Johnson, who may still have European ambitions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmonte Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Let's face it guys, we love Will Johnson because he plays for the badge and will run his ass off all game, but his offensive game is quite limited. Will Johnson at 150k is good, but Will Johnson at almost 250k is too pricey for what he brings to the table. I'd expect Johnson to play similar role that he played under Hart for Caleb Porter if he sticks with 4-3-3 in Portland. a two way workhorse in CM linking up with a better creative midfielder. Should be a good fit for Johnson, who may still have European ambitions? , i But if we didn't have him, then Dunfield would have started for Canada. Another guy who plays for the badge and will run his ass off all game, but his offensive game even MORE limited, and defensively in my opinion, a sloppier defender than Johnson who is constantly prone to yellow cards and fouls. Dirty fouls. Hurts players from other teams. Wait a sec, as I'm typing that, I feel like I'm arguing FOR Dunfield. If I was a coach, I'd love to employ a pest! But still, Johnson is clearly more talented than your run of the mill work your butt off defender, and I agree definitely a good fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obinna Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Johnson can shoot as well. I put him in the "Junihno" category as far as MLS is concerned. Perhaps not as good but more flexible as he can play as winger as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yohan Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Came to post this, man would Johnson look sweet in a Caps kit instead of Barry Fucking Robson seems WJ turned down Vancouver, according to this blog http://www.stumptownfooty.com/2012/12/2/3720300/will-johnson-portland-timbers-kosuke-kimura-new-york-red-bulls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingback6 Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Johnson can shoot as well. I put him in the "Junihno" category as far as MLS is concerned. Perhaps not as good but more flexible as he can play as winger as well. You must be joking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obinna Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 You must be joking. About what? The fact that he is also a defensive mid who has shooting ability? Perhaps it is too much to put them in the same category because Juninho is more of a central player. They are not quite cut from the same cloth but they have similar qualities (shooting from long range, good ball winners, good soccer IQ). Juninho is better technically though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finchster Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 seems WJ turned down Vancouver, according to this blog http://www.stumptownfooty.com/2012/12/2/3720300/will-johnson-portland-timbers-kosuke-kimura-new-york-red-bulls Then one would think Vancouver is going to or trying to off load one of their higher priced guys? Or a replacement for Thorrington? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheKottonmouthed1555362307 Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 How does a Canadian team not jump at this chance to have Johnson???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 How does a Canadian team not jump at this chance to have Johnson???? One club doesn't have a coach because they fired him after a fairly successful season, one hates Canadians and the third one hates winning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obinna Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 One club doesn't have a coach because they fired him after a fairly successful season, one hates Canadians and the third one hates winning! If this was a facebook comment I would hit the "like" button. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 One club doesn't have a coach because they fired him after a fairly successful season, one hates Canadians and the third one hates winning! Seriously though, great move on Will's part in choosing Portland. I can't see him losing an XI spot in Portland.. in Vancouver he likely would have been benched after a loss for being Canadian and replaced by a Scottish old timer or NASL all star. Nice to have Canadians on every side of the Cascadia battle now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youllneverwalkalone Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Ignoring that Will seems to have preferred going to Portland (not that surprising considering he was raised in the US), I don't think the Caps have enough allocation/cap room to have got this done. Before allocation, they only have about $250k in room after unloading Harris. That would have been well spent on WJ imo, but it looks like overpriced guys like Bonjour and Camilo are staying instead. Too bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeta Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Seriously though, great move on Will's part in choosing Portland. I can't see him losing an XI spot in Portland.. in Vancouver he likely would have been benched after a loss for being Canadian and replaced by a Scottish old timer or NASL all star. Nice to have Canadians on every side of the Cascadia battle now LOL. It's funny because it's true. Ha ha,,, ha, em... err. (Oh, boy). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingback6 Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 About what? The fact that he is also a defensive mid who has shooting ability? Perhaps it is too much to put them in the same category because Juninho is more of a central player. They are not quite cut from the same cloth but they have similar qualities (shooting from long range, good ball winners, good soccer IQ). Juninho is better technically though. One good volley does not mean a player has shooting ability. He hasn't scored from outside of the six yard box in a while if I'm not mistaken. Nor can he pass the ball further than fifteen yards. Every RSL game I watched last season he was responsible for turning the ball over regularly to the point his own team wouldn't pass to him. He is a good defensive midfielder who can brake up play and is tough as nails, but requires a competent ball distributing DM beside him Juninho is an offensive attacking type CM with legitimate shooting and passing ability. He has 13 goals in 83 games with LA. Will managed just 9 in 114 games for RSL. That is a difference of 1 goal in every 6 games played for Juninho, and 1 in 12 for WJ, stats appropriate for a CAM and DM respectively. If these numbers were more in line you might have an argument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obinna Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 One good volley does not mean a player has shooting ability. He hasn't scored from outside of the six yard box in a while if I'm not mistaken. Nor can he pass the ball further than fifteen yards. Every RSL game I watched last season he was responsible for turning the ball over regularly to the point his own team wouldn't pass to him. He is a good defensive midfielder who can brake up play and is tough as nails, but requires a competent ball distributing DM beside him Juninho is an offensive attacking type CM with legitimate shooting and passing ability. He has 13 goals in 83 games with LA. Will managed just 9 in 114 games for RSL. That is a difference of 1 goal in every 6 games played for Juninho, and 1 in 12 for WJ, stats appropriate for a CAM and DM respectively. If these numbers were more in line you might have an argument. I have watched several LAG games this year and Juninho is not really an attacking midfielder for them. Him and Beckham take turns dropping back to collect the ball from the defense and start the play. People who leave comments on the "comment" sections on MLSsoccer.com regularly compare Juninho to Alonzo of the sounders, who is regarded as the best DM in the league by many. I am not bringing up Johnson's shooting ability because he got goal of the year in 2008. I say this because he has always been a midfielder not afraid to shoot from distance. Can he shoot as well as Juninho? No. Is he as good of a passer as Juninho? No. The thing about Will Johnson is that he has a good engine and is a decent passer of the ball and will shoot from distance if you give him space. That sums up WJ for me. I haven't watched much of RSL this year at all but I am sure if he gave away the ball as much as you say he did the RSL fans wouldn't be sad to see him go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villus Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 I think Will Johnson has unfortunately not progressed much offensively over the last few years and tactically he is a bit deficient. I really do think he should be tried at RB somewhere, his distribution is poor and playing CM hes just not going to get it done where he needs to be on the ball and distributing a ton. RB he can use his defensive qualities and motor and won't be relied upon as much creatively and to beat players, I think it would help the MNT alot and I think his skillset at this point isn't at where it needs to be tactically to play at a high level in CM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obinna Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 I think Will Johnson has unfortunately not progressed much offensively over the last few years and tactically he is a bit deficient. I really do think he should be tried at RB somewhere, his distribution is poor and playing CM hes just not going to get it done where he needs to be on the ball and distributing a ton. RB he can use his defensive qualities and motor and won't be relied upon as much creatively and to beat players, I think it would help the MNT alot and I think his skillset at this point isn't at where it needs to be tactically to play at a high level in CM I think it is a bit harsh to classify his distribution is "poor", I think it is more fair to say his distribution is adequate. His distribution is never outstanding, and to be honest he is not the most dependable in posession, but he doesn't make me anxioius when he receives the ball in the centre of the field (like Dunfield). He does turn over the ball more often than I would like to see though, but I often overlook that because he has good stamina and ball winning abilities. Regarding the RB thing, I would love to see that experiment. I think your right that he has all the tools to fill that void for us. If he can play at RB with Timbers it would be ideal, what are their options like at RB? Rodney Wallace? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 I think Will Johnson has unfortunately not progressed much offensively over the last few years and tactically he is a bit deficient. I really do think he should be tried at RB somewhere, his distribution is poor and playing CM hes just not going to get it done where he needs to be on the ball and distributing a ton. RB he can use his defensive qualities and motor and won't be relied upon as much creatively and to beat players, I think it would help the MNT alot and I think his skillset at this point isn't at where it needs to be tactically to play at a high level in CM I've been calling for this for a while but I couldn't complain much in the last round because I thought he was really good in the role he was given. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingback6 Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 I've been calling for this for a while but I couldn't complain much in the last round because I thought he was really good in the role he was given. He certainly possesses the fitness necessary for a FB. And he wouldn't be the first DM to fill in at FB. It is even a more or less natural fit as far as playing people out of position, and Will is anything if not the consummate team player. In fact Ledgerwood at DM and Johnson at RB makes a lot more sense to me for a variety of reasons. It is a shame Hart never gave it a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruffian Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 I was surprised by this comment from Rollins. I assumed he was left out due to Orlando wanting him to remain with the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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