Will Johnson to Miss U.S. Open Cup Match Due to Canada Call Up

Will Johnson will miss the Portland Timbers's upcoming U.S. Open Cup match against the Seattle Sounders due to a call up by the Canadian Men's National Team for a pair of World Cup qualifiers on June 11th and 16th. Johnson will leave after the Timbers' home match against the New England Revolution on June 6th and is not expected to miss any league games while with Canada.

Johnson, who only recently made his 2015 first team debut, is still managing his recovery from the tibia-fibula break that kept him out since September of least year. Now having made a single appearance with the Timbers in their 1-0 win over D.C. United, one that forced him to miss the following game due to soreness, Johnson has been called up for a pair of World Cup Qualifying matches against Dominica.

Johnson has been capped 34 times by Canada and captained the side in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup in the same year he was named the Canada Soccer Association's Men's Soccer Player of the Year. For its part, Canada has not appeared in the World Cup since 1986.

The Timbers have not had Alvas Powell called up for the upcoming international window, although the young Jamaican fullback looks to be a big part of his national team for this summer's edition of the Gold Cup.

The Timbers' press release:

TIMBERS MIDFIELDER WILL JOHNSON NAMED TO CANADA NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER
Canada to face Dominica twice in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers

PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Timbers midfielder Will Johnson was named to the Canada Men’s National Team roster for a training camp and a pair of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Dominica, it was announced today.

Canada will hold camp in Orlando, Fla., from June 7-17 and will travel to face Dominica on Thursday, June 11, at Windsor Park in Roseau, Dominica, in the first leg of two 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against the Caribbean nation. Canada will play host to Dominica at BMO Field in Toronto on Tuesday, June 16. The winner of the two-game series will advance to CONCACAF’s third round of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification.

Johnson will depart following Saturday’s match against the New England Revolution and will not miss an MLS regular-season match for the Timbers while away on international duty.

Johnson, 28, has earned 34 caps with the Canada National Team, making his senior international debut at the age of 18 in a 1-0 win over Luxembourg on Nov. 16, 2005. The three-time MLS All-Star selection was part of his third CONCACAF Gold Cup roster for Canada in 2013 and was named the Canada Soccer Association’s Men’s Player of the Year the same year.

The midfielder made his 2015 season debut for the Timbers on May 27 at Providence Park, starting and playing 84 minutes in a 1-0 win over D.C. United. The match marked his first regular-season appearance for the Timbers since sustaining a fractured tibia and fibula in his right leg on Sept. 27, 2014, against Toronto FC. Prior to making his Timbers season debut, Johnson logged 270 minutes of action with T2 of USL from April 25-May 16.