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HARRISON, New Jersey - Ryan Johnson limped slightly as he walked across the locker room to his chair at Red Bull Arena.

Even with post-match treatment, after his 48th game of the year, the 27-year-old Jamaican forward for Toronto FC appears to be physically feeling the rigors of a long season.

"I'm holding up decently," he said Saturday after Toronto's 4-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls. "I have some small things. No severe injuries. You have to handle with the situation."

Johnson already has played 29 games in Major League Soccer, seven more in the CONCACAF Champions League, another four in the Amway Canadian Championship, four World Cup qualifiers and four international friendlies.

He still has to finish out the MLS season and the Champions League - but even more critically World Cup qualifying.

Jamaica is hoping for the kind of magic that Johnson conjured up against New York: a 40-meter, left-footed drive that arced over leaping Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles for a sixth-minute lead.

With Guatemala, the United States and Jamaica all tied with seven points in their CONCACAF semifinal round group, and with two games remaining, Johnson is well aware of the importance of being healthy for a good performance.

"Our chances are good. I'm nervous about going to Guatemala though," he said about the October 12 match. "I'm nervous about the outcome. If we could get three points, it would be a huge relief."

Jamaica will finish the semifinal round at home against Antigua and Barbuda four days later.

Still, Johnson has played a lot this season, and not with a lot of club success. Although Toronto won the Canadian Championship, it has the worst record in MLS and is on the brink of elimination from the Champions League.

"It makes it harder," he said. "You have to think about your individual career, the reputation you put out as a person -- that's dependable. I've just been big on reputation as player. I just keep tying doing positive things."

He's at least made an impression on Toronto manager Paul Mariner.

"He's really an amazing human being," Mariner said. "He wants to play. It's our job to rest him and make sure he's fresh. But he looks out after himself extremely well. He's a fantastic professional. He's a very important component to (Jamaica)."

Johnson sees the large number of games as an aberration, and not likely to be repeated.

"It's just circumstances," he said. "I don't see it happening again next year, all the different competitions, the international duty…"

But if Jamaica advances to the semifinal round of World Cup qualifying, and Toronto returns to the Champions League for a fifth straight season, it would not be hard to see Johnson grinding it out again.