The hardest part was spending 12 weeks in a cast.

Will Johnson had never suffered a major injury before breaking his right leg 11 seconds into a match at Toronto FC on Sept. 27 and he suddenly found himself spending his days on the couch, unable to do basic tasks that he had once taken for granted.

After undergoing surgery, Johnson could barely help his wife Caroline care for their newborn son Jaxx and the most difficult moments were when his two-year-old daughter Arabella would pull on his pant leg and beg him to walk outside and play.

"That was the toughest part, no doubt about it, because I couldn't do the things I wanted to do in my everyday life and I couldn't do anything professionally either," said Johnson after Portland Timbers training Friday. "All of a sudden the lights were just turned off and it wasn't like I got a second to plan for it."

Despite some trying moments along the way, Johnson's leg is now healed and he is able to once again walk normally. He has spent the last few months working intensely with the Timbers training staff to get back on the field.

The two-time MLS All-Star and Timbers captain said he isn't focused on his timeline, but Timbers coach Caleb Porter said he expects the 28-year-old to re-join training in the next 4-6 weeks.

"I think with Will, he's the type of guy you're going to have to slow down because ultimately there's an appropriate return to play," Porter said. "I think if you asked him, he'd like to jump in and play now, but he can't."

Immediately after the injury, Johnson knew that he had broken his leg and as he lay on the field in Toronto trying not to let the pain show on his face, he couldn't help but wonder when or if he would be back on the field.

"I didn't know the extent of the damage, so that's the part where you're anxious because you don't know how bad it is," Johnson said. "With this kind of injury, it can be career ending, it can be a blip in the road or somewhere in between."

The day after the injury, Johnson underwent surgery in Toronto to stabilize a fractured tibia and fibula. In December, he then underwent another procedure to remove the screws that had been placed in his ankle.

Johnson said that he's watched the replay of his injury at least 100 times. He's gone over the play, analyzing and overanalyzing his decision to go in for the tackle on Toronto FC defender Mark Bloom. If he could do it again though, he said he would have made the same tackle.

"There's a few little things I could have done that could have changed the outcome, but I have no regrets going in for the tackle," Johnson said. "I'm the captain of this team and it was a massive, massive game and I wanted to set the tone and make sure that my guys knew that I was committed to making a statement tackle on the first play of the game."

While the rehabilitation process is never easy and takes a lot of hard work, Johnson said that being able to rehab with Timbers midfielder Diego Valeri (ACL surgery) has kept him motivated throughout the whole process.

"He's a fantastic guy," Johnson said. "I didn't realize how strong he was to be honest with you...It's motivating. He never cuts a corner, never skips a step and that's why he's a superstar in the league."

During training Friday, Johnson was able to pass the ball back and forth with Valeri and even try taking some decent shots on goal with his surgically repaired right leg. As he prepares to return to full practice, Johnson's mental approach to coming back to the game will be just as important as his physical health.

"You never know how a guy is going to respond with a broken leg sometimes in terms of coming back," Porter said. "It's a matter of getting him back to match fitness and match strength and getting the psychology sorted where he's ready 100 percent. He's not thinking about anything, except when there's another tackle going into the tackle and trying to win it."

Johnson said he's thought a little bit about what it will be like to go in for another tackle. While he will once again have to get used to playing as hard as he played before the injury, Johnson said he's sure with a little practice going in for tackles will once again become second nature.

"I love tackling, I love the feeling of it, it's a big part of my game," Johnson said. "I don't plan on changing anything... I'm not going to let one instance change the player and the person that I am."

Following Johnson's injury, Timbers defensive midfielder Ben Zemanski took over for Johnson in the starting 11. Zemanski performed well for Portland at the end of last season and is expected to be in the starting lineup again this year as Johnson works his way back to full health.

"My mentality is the same whether I'm starting or coming off the bench," Zemanski said. "I just show up every day and try to work hard and try to get better and try to make the team better. "

Even though Johnson cannot participate in practice, Porter has not named a new captain to replace him. Johnson still tries to be around the team as much as possible and maintain a leadership role in the locker room and in meetings.

And, just like when he was healthy, Johnson is still often the last player to leave the field after trainings.

"You can't change what happened and so my mindset from day one post-surgery has always been to just take every day as it comes," Johnson said. "I want to use the opportunity that I've had to rebuild the foundation of my body and strength and come back in better shape than I was when I left."

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg