Every time Chad Johnson steps foot on a soccer field he expects to score. More often than not he does – and that ability to finish around the net has made him the go-to guy on the Palisades High varsity team.
“He really wants to score and that’s what you want from a forward,” Pali High coach Dave Suarez said. “He’s got a good burst of speed and that desire to score gets him in position to get opportunities.”
Entering Friday’s game against Westchester, Johnson leads the Dolphins with 11 goals and his scoring acumen has Palisades atop the Western League standings.
“If I had to pick one word to describe Chad it would be ‘audacious,’” teammate Spencer Tidball said. “He’s a really good athlete and he’s not afraid to shoot. My job as a winger is to look for him if I can’t score myself.”
Scoring is something Johnson has done with regularity from an early age.
“I played left back in AYSO and eventually moved to middle back, then center midfield, then forward,” said Johnson, who buses to campus from his home near league rival LACES. “My dad is Jamaican and he taught me the game. What I’ve learned most from him is to take chances and always be aggressive.”
Johnson attended New LA Charter School in Los Angeles before coming to Pali High. As a ninth grader he started on junior varsity and was the captain before seeing significant time on varsity as a sophomore. He scored five goals in 11 varsity games as a junior last winter.
“I love to watch the English Premier League,” said Johnson, who played club for LA Premiere in Pasadena and now plays on the Los Angeles United Futbol Academy’s U18 squad. “I also enjoy playing basketball, but just for fun.”
Johnson is considering Cal State Northridge and Arizona State but may attend Santa Monica College for a year first.
Suarez is happy to have an offensive talent like No. 7 in his lineup.
“Keeping his composure is the biggest thing Chad needs to work on,” Suarez said. “When he works back to the ball it helps us tremendously on defense.”
— Steve Galluzzo
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