Will Johnson leaves Toronto FC having played as big a part as anyone in ensuring 2016 was a trophy-winning year for the club.
The Canadian could never be accused of a lack of commitment and he literally put his body on the line in order to score the goal that won the Voyageurs Cup against the Vancouver Whitecaps, making TFC national champions for the first time since 2012.
In a way, his finest moment in a Reds shirt might also have cost him another year with the team. Johnson suffered a leg fracture in the collision with Vancouver goalkeeper David Ousted and though it was not as bad as his previous leg break, with the Portland Timbers, it kept him out for seven weeks.
He returned from that setback and took back his place in the team, but by then the gears were moving on a deal to sign some extra depth in Armando Cooper. When Johnson was then struck down by a knee injury in the final month or so of the regular season, Cooper got his chance and never looked back.
That will have contributed to TFC’s reluctance to stump up the money required to re-sign the experienced midfielder upon the expiry of his contract. He leaves with another championship goal to add to his collection of big moments in big matches over an excellent MLS career so far.