RootsBlog

Oakland Roots announced they signed former Pittsburgh Riverhounds forward EJ Johnson to a contract on Thursday.

Now the second signing in as many days after adding Jürgen Damm to the mix, Roots appear to be putting its final touches on the 2025 roster. Last appearing as a striker for Riverhounds, Johnson fills the role vacated by Miche Naider-Chéry.

Head coach Gavin Glinton commented on his relationship with Johnson from their time at the Sacramento Republic’s academy. Glinton worked there from 2017-2019, coinciding with Johnson’s stay from 2016-2021.

“We are very excited to bring in such a hungry young player who not only knows this league already but knows what it means to represent this area,” Glinton said. “I have known EJ from his time in the youth ranks of Northern California and I’m looking forward to working with him again.” 

So what are Roots getting in EJ?

Johnson, 21, provides youth to Roots’ roster, potentially becoming a developmental piece past 2025. He becomes one of the youngest players on Oakland’s current roster with just Ilya Alekseev and Tim Syrel as the only contracted players younger than him.

For being so young, the Fairfield native has become well-traveled since becoming a professional in 2022–now entering the sixth club of his career.

Although he lined up as a striker with Pittsburgh, he represents another player with potential versatility with experience at right wing, left wing, and right back.

In 885 minutes with Pittsburgh, Johnson made a living in the opponent’s penalty area with an average of 5.90 touches per game which ranked in the top 11 percent of players at his position, per FotMob. He also replaces Dom Dwyer’s ability to draw fouls, averaging 3.46 per game, ranking in the top 6.8 percent.

Pressing from the front also seems to be among his strong points, winning possession in the final third 0.81 per match–among the 12.2 percent of strikers. As a passer, he completed 30 percent of his crosses, ranking in the top 22 percent.

Johnson started his career with Hibernian FC’s under-21 side in 2022 and was loaned to Charleston Battery the same year, making 13 appearances. From there, he returned to Scotland in 2022-2023 with FC Edinburgh of Scottish League Two. He also appeared on loan with Austin FC II in 2023.

After concluding his contract at Hibernian, he signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh Riverhounds in 2024.

For his career, Johnson has appeared in 48 total matches and scored five goals.