Ryan Johnson joined the FGCU men's soccer team as an assistant coach in March of 2017. Johnson played professionally from 2006-16, spending seven of those years in Major League Soccer with Real Salt Lake, Chicago Fire, San Jose Earthquakes, Toronto FC and the Portland Timbers. His last MLS stop in Portland was arguably his most successful as the forward led the perennially-successful club with a team-best 10 goals en route to a 1st-place Western Conference finish in 2013. Internationally, Johnson has 40 caps with the Jamaica National Team and has tallied eight goals.

Johnson and head coach Jesse Cormier will be re-uniting as Cormier was an associate head coach at Oregon State during Johnson’s freshman and sophomore seasons in 2002 and 2003. Recruited across the nation by Cormier, Johnson – a native of Jamaica who grew up in the Boston area – finished his career with the Beavers in 2005 with 18 goals and 30 assists for 66 points in 76 matches.
 
Johnson was selected 26th overall by Real Salt Lake in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft before being traded to the Chicago Fire later that summer. After stints oversees, Johnson returned to the MLS with the San Jose Earthquakes for the 2008 season. In 2009, Johnson was named the team MVP and its golden boot recipient after leading the Earthquakes in goals with 11.
 
Midway through the 2011 campaign, Johnson was traded to Toronto FC and made a profound impact, scoring 11 goals in just 12 matches. He followed that performance up with a dozen goals and five assists as he started all 31 games for Toronto FC in 2012 before landing with the Timbers for his final MLS season in 2013.
 
He started all four matches of the 2012 Canadian Championship, leading Toronto FC to a fourth-straight Voyager’s Cup and in the process was awarded the George Gross Memorial Trophy as the championship’s best player.
 
Johnson made his international debut with the Jamaican National Team in a friendly against the United States in 2006. He scored his first national team goal in 2010 against world power Argentina, and continued his strong play throughout 2010 and 2011, securing the game-winning goal versus Costa Rica and winning the Caribbean Cup with Jamaica. During the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Johnson was the team’s second-leading scorer. He participated in nine 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers for Jamaica, including a goal opposite Guatemala.