Edward William Johnson (born 20 September 1984) is an English former footballer, who ended his career with Portland Timbers in Major League Soccer.
[9] Johnson was loaned out to the Belgian club Royal Antwerp in January 2004 where he made 11 appearances, scoring five goals,[10][11] including a 20-yard strike on his debut against Heusden-Zolder.
[24] The start of Johnson's career at League One side Bradford City was marred by an ankle ligament injury in a pre-season friendly at Boston United which was expected to keep him out of the first month of the season.
[31] Following a poor run of form, City manager Colin Todd was sacked,[32] with his replacement David Wetherall converting Johnson from a striker to a midfielder after an injury to Marc Bridge-Wilkinson.
[34][35] At the start of the 2007–08 season, new manager Stuart McCall continued to employ Johnson in a midfield role, and he was rewarded with goals in back-to-back games and the club's player of the month in September.
[46] Instead he returned to Crewe Alexandra on trial after he and his mother went to see coach Dario Gradi,[47][48] and scored twice in a 4–1 pre-season friendly victory over Quorn on 16 July 2008.
[56] He missed four weeks out through injury, which coincided with the club's improvement in form under new manager Mark Wright,[57] until he returned as a last-minute substitute against his former side Bradford City.
[59] Johnson's contract was terminated by Chester City on the final day of the January transfer window to allow him to move to the Austin Aztex.
[1] Johnson's move to Austin Aztex was finalised in March and completed their initial starting side, which included fellow English players Alex Tapp and Gifton Noel-Williams and Welshman Gareth Evans.
[62][63] Upon Johnson's transfer, team manager Adrian Heath said: "I think it's fair to say that Eddie has lost his way recently and I hope we can get him back on the right path to where he is again one of the bright young players in English football.
"[63] Johnson played in the club's first game, which was a 2–0 friendly defeat to Major League Soccer's New England Revolution and scored in another pre-season match.
[73] During the close-season, Johnson sought a possible new club back in England,[74] and before the start of the 2010 season in America, he was given a trial with Major League Soccer side Seattle Sounders FC joining them for their pre-season training camp.
[68] During May, Johnson scored five goals,[77] including two in a 3–3 draw with Tampa Bay[78] and made two assists to help Austin record an unbeaten spell.
[77] He again scored two goals in a 2–1 Aztex victory over Miami[79] and helped take his team to the top of the table by being the club's leading goalscorer throughout the campaign.
[81] A week later, Johnson scored his tenth goal of the season to give his side their fourth win in five games by defeating Carolina RailHawks 3–2.
[86] Johnson's form for the Aztex attracted the attention of the Portland Timbers, a Major League Soccer expansion side for the 2011 season.
[89] Johnson was a late substitute for Jorge Perlaza in the Timbers' first MLS home game and fourth in all, as they defeated Chicago Fire 4–2 on 15 April 2011.
[93] His form during his time at Manchester United earned him a place in the England team in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship, after scoring twice in a friendly game before the tournament.