A report states the Fire are a potential suitor for Portland Timbers midfielder Will Johnson.
After being relegated to a bench role for the Timbers, Johnson has become a trade target. Goal.com reports the Fire and Toronto FC are leading the charge to acquire his services.
Johnson, 28, made just one appearance in the playoffs during Portland’s run to the MLS Cup title. He came on as a 93rd minute substitute appearance in first leg of Western Conference final.
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Johnson was born in Toronto and has represented the Canadian national team 38 times since debuting in 2005. He moved to the Chicago area as a 10-year-old, living in Woodridge, and eventually began his professional career with the Fire. Johnson made six appearances for the club in 2005 before heading abroad.
Since returning to MLS, Johnson has won two MLS Cups. The first came in 2009 with Real Salt Lake before picking up his second with Portland.
As a two-time All Star, including in 2014, Johnson was once thought to be a premier midfielder in the league. However, he suffered a broken leg late in the 2014 season that caused him to miss the rest of the year and the start of 2015. His first appearance in 2015 came on May 27. He made 12 starts before undergoing a minor surgery related to that injury in October. His lone playoff appearance was his first game action since the surgery.