Much of Orlando City SC’s roster overhaul leading to the 2018 MLS season was centered in the midfield positions. Relevant players from previous seasons, such as Kaká, Antonio Nocerino, and Servando Carrasco, left the club while big names as Justin Meram, Sacha Kljestan, Josué Colmán and Oriol Rosell took the opposite route and moved to Florida.
In the midst of all these moves, some players who were already part of the roster saw their futures with the Lions become uncertain. One of them was Will Johnson, one of only eight players on the team to be on the field for at least 2,000 minutes in 2017.