PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers today announced that the club has signed midfielder Will Johnson to a new, multi-year contract. Per MLS and club policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Johnson, 27, was named to the league’s Best XI after helping guide the Timbers to a first-place finish in the Western Conference regular-season standings and their first-ever appearance in the MLS Cup Playoffs in 2013. Voted a 2013 AT&T MLS All-Star, Johnson also helped lead the Timbers to their deepest run in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The team’s captain set new career marks in goals (9), assists (5), points (23) and minutes played (2,520) during his first season with Portland last season.
GOAL: W. Johnson's nifty goal vs. COL in 2013
A versatile midfielder, Johnson is a veteran of seven MLS seasons. The two-time MLS All-Star has appeared in 149 career regular-season matches (134 starts), recording 19 goals and 13 assists.
Prior to joining the Timbers, Johnson spent five seasons with Real Salt Lake (2008-12), helping the club win an MLS Cup title in 2009. He ranks among Real Salt Lake’s career leaders in regular-season appearances (114) and earned an MLS All-Star team selection in 2009. Johnson’s professional career began with the Chicago Fire in 2005, and also includes two seasons in the Netherlands with SC Heerenveen (2005-06) and De Graafschap (2006-07) before returning to MLS in 2008.
