SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Almost since the league's inception, there have been questions if the MLS offseason is too long. The conventional wisdom is that too much sharpness is lost in the roughly three months that ensues between season's end and the start of training camp. Yet the approach has at least one fan in the form of San Jose Earthquakes forward Ryan Johnson, who by all appearances has used the just concluded offseason to great effect.
The San Jose attacker caught the eye of Quakes fans last year, scoring five times as a super-sub and spot-starter while also splitting time between forward and left midfield. But with Quakes scoring a league-low 32 times last season, the competition for the two forward spots in 2009 was always going to be wide open, especially given the departure of Scott Sealy to Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv.
So from the moment the season ended, Johnson set about doing everything he could to make one of the forward positions his own, often engaging in solitary workouts to improve his game.
Given the offseason's duration, such sessions can get monotonous, but Johnson said he didn't mind. Perhaps the fact that he got married to fiancйe Donna Sione had something to do with it, although Johnson claims there were other reasons as well.
"I actually enjoyed the offseason," said Johnson. "It was good to get away from all the stress of winning games in the regular season. I got to just focus on me, and not just focus on results and other things around me. It was good to just get my body to where I wanted it to be."
That included sharpening up the more technical aspects of his game, something that was driven home during some conversations with manager Frank Yallop.
"[Yallop] talked to me about being better in front of goal," said Johnson. "I would get chances and get myself in situations, but I needed to do a better job of putting them away, and that's one thing I've been focusing on during the offseason. It's starting off good."
Indeed, at last week's Central Coast Showcase held on the campus of Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, the Jamaican scored twice in a 3-2 win against expansion Seattle Sounders FC before adding another in a 2-0 win against Houston. And it's clear that his current form has made an impression on Yallop.
"[Johnson] has kind of continued what he did last year," said Yallop. "I thought he had a great first year for a guy coming in and basically playing up front, not for the first time, but getting used to that position. He's worked himself in the offseason and he's comes back ahead of the game. I think he's looked really good in the games, really good in practice, and I think he's going to have a good year."
Another change that has benefited Johnson is the different role he's being asked to play this season. There were times in 2008 when the Jamaican was expected to provide a powerful presence up top, holding the ball up for his teammates. But with the acquisitions of 6-foot-4 Cam Weaver, as well as 6-foot-3 Pablo Campos, Johnson can now use his pace more often.
"It helps me a lot," said Johnson of playing alongside Weaver and Campos. "I don't have to exert so much extra energy being that physical guy every play of the game. I can worry about being the sneaky guy getting behind defenders, and I have the speed to do that. It's going to be tough for other teams because we're going to have two strong forwards who can do both."
Of course, duplicating his current form in the regular season is a different challenge entirely, as MLS has been littered over the years with spring training wonders that fizzled once the games began for real. But it's a task that Johnson is eager to take on.
"It's a good start," said Johnson of his preseason displays. "But I've got to keep it going."
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