“Mom, is it morning yet?”
It’s 4 a.m., and Schura Johansen has just been roused from her slumber. Standing at the end of the bed in her D.C.-area hotel room is her 12-year-old son Jordan, wide-eyed and ready for his Saturday.
It is not your average weekend morning, though. And in many ways this isn’t your average 12-year-old. Jordan has lived his entire life suffering the effects of cystic fibrosis, and he’s come to D.C. as the recipient of a gift from the Make-A-Wish foundation. Today, he’s going to meet his hero, D.C. United right back Sean Franklin.
“No,” Schura says. “Not quite yet.”
Five hours later, Jordan’s day finally gets its start.
Around 9 a.m. or so, Jordan’s family arrived at RFK and was met by a group of team employees tasked with making the youngster feel at home in the confines of the venerable old stadium. He joined United play-by-play man Dave Johnson for a tour of the place, learning about the ins-and-outs of United’s stomping grounds while his younger brother Nathan did an impromptu lap around the pitch.
But Jordan hadn’t come to RFK for a tour; United had thought it fitting to add him to their roster for the weekend. If Jordan was to truly be a part of the black-and-red, he’d need to sign a contract.
And that’s just what he did, strolling into a downstairs conference room and inking a 1-day deal alongside D.C. head coach Ben Olsen and general manager Dave Kasper. “I hope you had your agent look at this thing,” Olsen quipped while motioning toward the clipboard. “I hear you’re a goalscorer. We could always use help up top.”
With the formalities over, it was time to get down to business. United’s newest player made the short walk to the locker room, where the team had prepared his very own stall. It was, perfectly enough, adjacent to Franklin’s, and the two finally got a chance to meet. It was not hard to see — or even feel —Jordan’s excitement.
So how does a kid from Arizona become a D.C. United fan?
Jordan first learned of Franklin when the affable defender was a member of the LA Galaxy. “One of my co-workers had gotten wind of Jordan’s condition and also happened to know the Franklin family,” his father said on Saturday. “He asked me if I thought he’d like a gift bag from the Galaxy. I told him he’d love it.”
Several days later, Erik’s co-worker made good on his promise, and among the contents of the bag was a signed ball and jersey from Franklin himself. It was a personal touch that earned the MLS veteran a fan for life.
“After that,” Schura reflected on Saturday, “Jordan just fell in love with Sean. When he transferred to D.C., he became a D.C. fan. He’s going to follow him wherever he goes.”
Just days before arriving at RFK, Jordan didn’t even know he would be coming to meet his idol.
“He saw on TV that someone with a chronic illness did Make-a-Wish, and he asked me, ‘Mom, can I do Make-a-Wish?’,” Jordan’s mom shared on Saturday. “I told him I’d find out for him. We had a doctor’s appointment at the hospital the next day and we asked a social worker. She said ‘Sure.’ They called me two days later and said they’d love to meet with us to see.”
Jordan’s request was approved, and his parents were eager to break the news to him. Earlier this week, the family gathered at a local eatery and filled him in.
“We went into the restaurant, and the entire staff of the place had gathered to greet us,” said Erik. “Jordan saw the Make-a-Wish people there and said “What are you doing here?” I think he was a little angry we didn’t tell him sooner!”
Being a professional soccer player is hard work, of course, and Jordan would next face the rigors of a training session just a day before a nationally televised contest. He breezed through warm-ups and a series of keep-away games, his brother always at his side. When United moved into a scrimmage later in the day, the youngster floated nearby, soaking in whatever he could from the experience.
Franklin, of course, was never far from his apprentice. When the right back took part in a finishing drill that saw him make a run down the sideline and cross the ball into the box, Jordan sprinted down the sideline with him, just a few feet away.
It was exhausting to watch, and that’s remarkable in and of itself: Jordan’s lungs are currently operating at about 75 percent of their capacity.
“His pancreas doesn’t work at all,” his mother shared while Jordan pinged around the pitch. “He has to take enzymes for that. His liver is also struggling. But given the fact that his lung function is so low, it’s incredible that he runs a mile in six minutes and nine seconds. He long jumps 12 feet and 9 inches. I was trying to take a photo a few weeks back of him doing the long jump once and he went out of frame. I thought “Where did he go?””
As the training session ended, Franklin pulled the rookie aside for some finishing advice. Jordan sank a couple of free kicks, likely preparing for his next task: On Sunday night, he’d take Franklin’s hand and walk out under the lights at RFK in United’s starting lineup.
Photo by Francis Chung
Most pre-teens would be overwhelmed by a day like Jordan’s Saturday. But he seemed to relish the opportunity, and Sunday was no different.
The young man strode confidently onto the field — escorted by Franklin, of course — and struck a perfect pass to Bobby Boswell for the game’s ceremonial first kick. United’s supporters groups did their part, raising banners that paid tribute to D.C.’s newest acquisition. “Welcome to the club, Jordan.” He left the field to join his family while being serenaded by those same supporters: “Let’s go Jordan” they chanted.
United were dominant, and Jordan was obviously thoroughly engrossed by the action. When Franklin collected a cross-field pass in the penalty area and turned goalwards, Jordan’s weekend seemed destined for a fairytale ending. But the defenders effort was parried away from goal. It would have been too perfect.
No worry. Franklin’s work for the weekend had been done before he even hit the pitch, and Jordan certainly didn’t care about the miss.
“It’s a great feeling,” said Franklin. “It’s not everyday someone wants to share a moment like this with me. To have Jordan come out with his family, it’s a very humbling experience. I’m just happy I have a job where I can do stuff like this, to have a great kid like Jordan out here. It was a fun day.”
“It’s emotional,” added Olsen. “I had a kid three days ago, so I’m sleep-deprived and emotional as is. There are a lot of kids out there suffering like Jordan, and that’s heavy. If there’s anything we can do to ease things for him and his family, we’re lucky to be a part of it.”
The kid, of course, is not media trained. When it came to answering questions from the media assembled at the training session and game, Jordan kept his answers short and sweet, veering away from the types of clichés so often used by professional athletes.
It was really quite perfect, though. When I asked him to sum up his experiences on Saturday, Jordan seemed overwhelmed, but got the job done in just eight words:
“This was the best day ever for me.“
