RSL notes: Johnson's midfield transformation
Claret-and-Cobalt urging neutral fans to support club's MLS Cup bid
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Once upon a time, Johnson played forward. In fact, the Canadian international logged most of his time there in his truncated and inactive stint in Chicago (2005-2006) and during a two-year spell in Holland with Heerenveen and De Graafschap (2006-2008).
Johnson's deployment changed from the moment RSL coach Jason Kreis took an interest in him in August 2008 and acquired his rights from Chicago in exchange for a pair of draft picks.
"We heard he was coming back and Chicago asked if we were interested in him," Kreis said. "We looked at some DVD of him with the U-20 Canadian team. I'm watching a forward and I'm thinking, 'I don't know if I love this guy as a forward.' But we talked more about it and thought, 'I wonder if he can play in the midfield for us?' At that time, we had some money and a roster spot and we took a chance."
Kreis' idle pondering turned the risk into quite the reward for RSL as Johnson quickly showed that he could contribute in midfield more consistently than he had in intermittent stints there during his time in Holland.
"Immediately from day one training session I thought, 'We've really got something here.'" Kreis said. "We were lucky."
Instead inking a forward who ran hard but didn't finish as often as many would have liked, Kreis and RSL discovered a midfielder who could play both ways and submit a determined and diligent shift over the course of 90 minutes. With Javier Morales and Andy Williams assuming more of the creative responsibility on the peak and the right side of RSL's midfield diamond, Johnson can focus on harrying opposing midfielders and helping Kyle Beckerman plug holes in front of the RSL back four.
Beckerman said Johnson's industry and quality makes him a vital member of RSL's midfield group just over a year after he made the full-time transition to the position.
"Will probably runs enough for three games in one," Beckerman said. "He covers so much ground out there. (Plus) he tackles hard, he's a good passer and has a really strong shot. So yeah, I enjoy playing with him."
TURNING THE HOME FANS: RSL coach Jason Kreis has a message for the neutral fans in attendance for Sunday's MLS Cup. Cheer for us!
As MLS Cup approaches, the Real Salt Lake manager is hoping to sway the neutral Seattle fans to their side before the big match. Supporters from each club are coming to Seattle, but a vast majority of the spectators will not have a rooting interest in either side. Kreis hopes he can get a few of them on his side.
"I hope so. Let me put out the request today for everybody who is not a die-hard Los Angeles fan, let's be a die-hard RSL fan on Sunday, because we are going to need it," Kreis said. "We are going to get some Salt Lake people up and we would love for all the Sounders fans to root for Salt Lake."
A huge crowd is expected for the Sunday afternoon game, with the second deck of Qwest Field opened for fans. Seattle averaged more than 30,000 fans per game during the regular season and additional seats have been made available for Sunday's championship.
"Hopefully all Sounders fans will get on our side for the game," said midfielder Kyle Beckerman. "We were actually hoping that L.A. would have beaten Seattle so maybe they would have got on our side."
PREPPING FOR THE MIDFIELD TUSSLE: Beckerman and Johnson will have their hands full on Sunday night with David Beckham and Landon Donovan expected to line up as two of the four members of the Los Angeles midfield. Even though the Galaxy might have more notable figures in their midfield than RSL does in its group, Beckerman thinks he and his fellow RSL midfielders will be able to hold their own on Sunday night.
"I think we stack up well," Beckerman said. "The main thing is when we get our passing going, the diamond seems to work and open up teams. Especially when you play against a flat four, like they play, if you can get that diamond moving with the ball, it causes a real problem to the other because (because) you can get behind that midfield."
RECORDS TELLING THE TRUTH?: The case has been made often this week that RSL's claim to a berth in the final lacks some merit considering its sub-.500 regular season record (11-12-7). Needless to say, that isn't an argument the Claret-and-Cobalt takes particularly seriously.
"When you get to the playoffs, truth be told, records don't mean anything any more," RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando said. "If you get here, you can do something. That's what this team did. We got to the playoffs and we opened some eyes. There's still people that don't believe in us. We're a team that believes and that's why we're here."
Others have also noted that the record doesn't necessarily reflect the quality contain in RSL's squad. In many instances this season, the record didn't reflect how well the team played. Late lapses coughed up points at inopportune times, while diligent road performances went unrewarded despite the requisite effort and quality.
RSL defender Chris Wingert said the difference between the up and down regular season campaign and the three-game playoff winning streak rests with the rhythm created and the ensuing fortune that resulted from it.
"We've gotten some breaks and we're definitely playing a little bit better, but we had some hard luck in the regular season," Wingert said. "When we were playing with confidence, playing good team defense and finishing our opportunities, we were successful in the regular season as well."
Kyle McCarthy and Andrew Winner are contributors to MLSnet.com.
