Herriman • He was always fast, a blur, since he was young, trying to get to top-end speed as quickly as possible by sprinting alongside the beach, outrunning the crashing ocean waves. Growing up in Monrovia, Liberia, there were no state-of-the-art facilities Sam Johnson explains standing outside the gym in Real Salt Lake’s state-of-the-art soccer complex. There were no treadmills to increase speed or test durability in distance running.
All these years later, it’s impossible to not take notice, because it has stood out in various leagues around the world. YouTube clips show Johnson, Real Salt Lake’s offseason Designated Player signing, running away from defenders who stand no chance once he’s had a step into space.