Alistair Johnston

BIOGRAPHY

Alistair Johnson was born October 8, 1998, in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is a defender in Major League Soccer. 

Johnson moved to Montreal when he was four, where he began playing soccer with Lakeshore SC. The family again moved to Aurora, Ontario when he was seven. He made his debut in the Canadian youth program at an under-18 camp in 2015, when he was 16. He played youth soccer with ANB Futbol, and earned a tryout with French club Troyes AC while there. In 2015, he joined Vaughan SC, helping them win the 2015 U-18/U-19 Disney Soccer Showcase as well as the 2015 OYSL U-18 League title. Johnston attended St. John's University for two years, before moving to Wake Forest University in 2018 in search of a bigger challenge both in soccer and academically. He switched positions from central midfield to right-back upon joining Wake Forest. While at college, Johnston also played with League1 Ontario side Vaughan Azzurri from 2015 to 2019. Johnston played in the 2019 Canadian Championship for Vaughan Azzurri and was sent off in the second leg of the away goals defeat to the HFX Wanderers.

On January 9, 2020, Johnston was selected 11th overall by Nashville SC in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft. He officially signed with the club on February 25, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which included Nashville withdrawing from the MLS is Back Tournament due to an outbreak amongst the team, his debut was delayed until August 12 against FC Dallas, coming on as a substitute. He made his first start four days later, also against Dallas. He helped the club reach the MLS Playoffs in their debut season.

On December 23, 2021, CF Montréal acquired Johnston from Nashville in exchange for a million dollars in allocation money, with Nashville also retaining a percentage of a transfer fee in a future sale. Montreal confirmed the deal on December 27 and announced Johnston had also signed a new contract taking him through 2023, with options for 2024 and 2025. He made his debut for Montreal on February 23, as a substitute against Liga MX side Santos Laguna in the club's second leg of their 2022 CONCACAF Champions League tie. Johnston scored his first goal for Montreal on May 14, scoring the second goal in a 2-0 victory against Charlotte FC.