Johnson injury not has bad as first feared

San Jose forward Ryan Johnson was a spectator at training today, but told CLS that his left shoulder injury wasn’t as serious as he originally thought, and he could take the field against Seattle this Sunday.

Just minutes after scoring the Quakes’ first goal in their 2-2 draw with D.C. United, Johnson had to be substituted due to a left shoulder sprain he sustained following a collision with United defender Marc Burch. With his arm in a sling following the match, the concern was that the Jamaican would be out for an extended period. But X-rays taken after Saturday’s game came back negative, leaving Johnson to just “deal with the pain” ahead of Sunday’s match.

 Johnson added that he won’t have to wear any kind of a harness to protect the injury.

“Just painkillers,” said Johnson.

Of course, the man he has to convince that he can play is manager Frank Yallop. While the Quakes’ head man sounded more cautious in his assessment, he didn’t rule out Johnson’s return either.

“He can run around and play,” said Yallop of Johnson. “But if he goes down on it, then we’re in a bit of trouble. But knowing Ryan, he’ll be okay for Sunday I think.”