Sean Johnson was born in Georgia, attending the University of Central Florida for college. After starring in net for UCF, he joined the 2010 MLS SuperDraft as a Generation Adidas player. He was taken No. 51 overall by the Chicago Fire. He won the starting job late in his first season there. From 2011-2013, he was the solidified starting goalkeeper of the club, keeping 21 total clean sheets prior to the 2014 season. We start in 2014, ten seasons ago for the veteran goalkeeper.
In the second match of the 2014 season, Johnson saved 6/7 shots against the Portland Timbers, refusing to concede on a bit of chaos in front of the goal mouth. He made another 6 saves against DC United, getting low to deny Eddie Johnson at the near post. His first clean sheet of the campaign took place in a June 0-0 draw against Colorado. In July, he made a season-high 8 saves against Sporting Kansas City, snagging a Dom Dwyer volley. He pitched a 7-save shutout in New England, pushing aside a Chris Tierney free kick. On Decision Day, Johnson would not be beaten by Omar Cummings, making 8 saves. The Chicago Fire struggled to do much of anything in these years, and to this day at that, but it was nice to have a solid GK at the very least.
In 2015, Johnson kept a clean sheet against NYCFC in April. He robbed Kei Kamara right in front of goal in a 1-0 loss to Columbus, in which he made another 6 saves. The Fire made it to the Semis of the 2015 US Open Cup, but fell there to Philadelphia. In the very next match, they faced off with the Union again, where the teams tied 3-3, yet Johnson made 8 saves, including a spectacular diving stop on Cristian Maidana. Chicago won the Wooden Spoon, missing the playoffs per usual.
The next season was no different, as Chicago won the Wooden Spoon for the second straight year. His best game of the year performance wise was a 9-save game against the New England Revolution, where he denied Diego Fagundez on many occasions, but the team in front of him still managed to lose. After all this losing, it was time for a change of scenery for the quality net minder. On December 11, 2016, Atlanta United acquired Sean Johnson from Chicago for allocation money. His stint in Atlanta lasted a few minutes, as New York City FC immediately traded for him. In his first season away from Chicago in 2017, he made the playoffs, as the second seed with NYCFC. His first clean sheet in light blue came in his second match for his new team. He kept 7 clean sheets on the year. He saved 7 shots against Portland at Yankee Stadium. He also saved 9 attempts on target against the Revolution, including a full-stretch save on a Kei Kamara power strike. In the playoffs, Columbus eliminated NYCFC.
In 2018, Sean Johnson was finally starting to see some team success in front of him. NYCFC finished third this time in the Eastern Conference. Sean Johnson went off against San Jose early in the campaign, stuffing 9 shots, including a free kick save on Magnus Eriksson. In July, he kept an impressive four straight shutouts, making 14 saves across the matches. In the playoffs, they defeated the Philadelphia Union in the first round. Atlanta United sent them packing in the next round. He kept 10 clean sheets on the year, which was by far his best mark at the time.
New York City took the Eastern Conference regular season in 2019, only missing out on the Supporters' Shield because of LAFC's season. He made a season-high 7 saves in a 2-1 loss at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. His quick reactions kept a header out that destined for the goal in a 6-save performance against San Jose. All the hard work was for naught, as NYCFC went out to Toronto FC in their first match of the postseason. In 2020, Johnson matched his 7 clean sheet total of the previous season, despite the shortened schedule. He also had his highest saves per game number in the ten-year span, at 3.52 saves per game. Playing in his future home at BMO Field, he made 8 saves, pushing aside Ifunanyachi Achara's curler. He made a 7-save clean sheet against New England, a team he always seems to play well against. It was another decent season, as NYCFC finished fifth. Their playoff exit was heartbreaking, going out to Orlando City in a wild ending. They were knocking on the door.
The fruits of NYCFC's labor arrived in 2021. Johnson kept 9 clean sheets, making 3 saves per game. He kept a clean sheet in the second game of the year, saving all 5 shots he faced in a 5-0 win over FC Cincinnati, including a denial from long range. In the Hudson River Derby, he saved 8/9 shots against, shoving a Wiki Carmona shot back into the sky. NYCFC entered the playoffs as the four seed. In the first round, Johnson saved every shot he faced to beat Atlanta, shutting down Josef Martinez. They danced past #1 New England in penalties, as Johnson stuffed Adam Bursa. His side went into Philly and got the business done to advance to MLS Cup. At last, Johnson saw playoff success in his career. He was perhaps the reason they won the final as well, diving to stop Felipe Mora's penalty in the shootout. He then said no to Diego Valeri. NYCFC would win 4-2 in PKs, thanks to the two saves for Sean John. He hoisted MLS Cup 2021. Johnson was named the MLS Cup MVP as well.
In 2022, Sean Johnson shattered his career high in clean sheets, keeping 14 of them. The NYCFC back line was so solid that most of his games were not high-save performances. His highest save match came in the postseason. He made 6 saves on two occasions during the regular season. They finished as the third seed, continuing a long streak of regular season success. Somehow, Johnson was just named to his first MLS All-Star game in 2022. They shrugged off Inter Miami in the first round of the playoffs. In the second round, Johnson was responsible for 7 saves, including one against a guy he'd seen so often in Kei Kamara. NYCFC's attempt at keeping the trophy in New York City fell short when Philadelphia exacted their revenge. Johnson was called up to the 2022 World Cup squad for the United States as a reserve goalkeeper. He has 13 total caps since 2013 for his country.
NYCFC did not bring Sean Johnson back after a great six years with him between the pipes. As a result, he looked elsewhere. He signed a two-year deal with Toronto FC ahead of the 2023 season. In 2023, he returned to playing goalkeeper for one of the very worst teams in MLS. TFC won the Wooden Spoon, meaning Johnson has now won quite a few of the awards, and not because of his goalkeeping. He missed nearly 3 months with a hand injury towards the end of the year. He decided to play his first game since July on Decision Day, as Toronto FC lost 2-0 to Orlando City. At the end of the day, much of Sean Johnson's brilliance in skill at his position has been overshadowed by the poor teams he's played for. His years with New York City FC showed exactly what he can do, winning MLS Cup and showing out for many years there. He will likely be a part of the Toronto FC rebuild as they attempt to bring success back to Ontario next year. Sean Johnson comes in at #43.
YEAR | CLUB | MINUTES | CS | SAVES/PG |
2023 | TFC | 1,800 | 6 | 2.6 |
2022 | NYC | 3,060 | 14 | 2.41 |
2021 | NYC | 2,610 | 9 | 3.0 |
2020 | NYC | 2,070 | 7 | 3.52 |
2019 | NYC | 2,610 | 7 | 2.69 |
2018 | NYC | 2,880 | 10 | 3.12 |
2017 | NYC | 2,880 | 7 | 3.0 |
2016 | CHI | 1,980 | 5 | 3.23 |
2015 | CHI | 1,890 | 4 | 2.81 |
2014 | CHI | 2,970 | 6 | 2.91 |
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