.@SeanJohnGK makes his first return trip to Chicago with #NYCFC



PREVIEW ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/2RHQ0WjZ3S — New York City FC (@NYCFC) September 30, 2017

For the first time since he was traded by the Chicago Fire this winter, NYCFC goalkeeper Sean Johnson will return on Saturday night to Toyota Park (8:30 pm ET; MLS LIVE).

Johnson, 28, was traded in December by Chicago to Atlanta in exchange for General Allocation Money and then immediately shipped to New York City. According to a source, the Fire got $100,000 in allocation for Johnson from Atlanta before the Five Stripes flipped him to NYCFC for $100,000 in GAM and $50,000 in TAM. That’s not much for a starting goalkeeper, particularly one who’s had as strong a season as Johnson.

Things had gone a bit stale for the ‘keeper in Chicago, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2010 SuperDraft. He became the Fire’s full-time starter midway through his rookie season, but lost that status in 2016, when new head coach Veljko Paunovic rotated him in and out of the lineup as the Fire limped to a last-place finish for the second-consecutive year. Hours after the offseason trade window opened, following seven seasons, 176 appearances and just one playoff trip in Chicago, he was out.

The on-again, off-again US international has had a bit of a career renaissance with NYCFC, giving them a sense of security in net that they didn’t have in either of their first two seasons. He’s third in the league with a 70.8 save percentage, and has been excellent value considering the relatively low price NYCFC paid for him.

For Chicago, the trade hasn’t been as big of a positive. Things clearly went sideways between Johnson and the Fire last year, and his time on the bench in 2016 probably depressed his trade value. Still, $100,000 in GAM isn’t much of a return for a ‘keeper in his late-20s who was approaching nearly 200 career regular season appearances at the time of the trade.

That’s especially true considering the Fire still have some questions in goal. They began the year with Jorge Bava as the starter, but he’s been sidelined for most of the year due to injury. Matt Lampson has started for the bulk of the season and has mostly played well enough, but he hasn’t had the same caliber of season as Johnson. Teams that advance far in the MLS Cup Playoffs typically get strong goalkeeper play, and I wouldn’t be shocked if the ‘keeper position hurt the Fire in the postseason. I would be surprised if any of us say the same about NYCFC come November.

While the Fire lost a bit on the field, trading Johnson for allocation money did create space for the club to make other additions. Who knows how crucial that deal was in Chicago acquiring Juninho or Dax McCarty? If losing Johnson was the cost of acquiring one of those two, then the deal makes a bit more sense.

Considering those unknown budget implications, it’d be a bit harsh to say Chicago lost this trade. It’s pretty clear that both NYCFC and Johnson emerged as winners, however, with the third-year club finally landing a top-tier goalkeeper and Johnson getting new life in New York.