To leave the only professional soccer club you’ve ever known can be hard, but the time was right for goalkeeper Sean Johnson.

The Chicago Fire traded Johnson on Sunday morning to Atlanta United FC, which then traded him to New York City FC , starting a hectic few days for the seven-year veteran.

“For me this is the perfect opportunity for me to branch out and try something different,” Johnson said, adding he and Fire general manager Nelson Rodriguez discussed the possibility of a trade after the season ended.

Johnson, 27, became the Fire’s starter his rookie season, experience that helped him earn five caps with the U.S. national team. But he lost his starting job with the Fire for the first nine games of the 2016 season under first-year coach Veljko Paunovic, regaining it in May. That started speculation that he would be traded, with Atlanta the expected destination.

That he winds up at NYCFC instead of expansion side Atlanta United is OK by the Georgia native.

“I’m very pleased to be at an organization that really wants me there,” Johnson said of NYCFC, adding he had spent the past few days meeting club staff and getting acquainted with his new club. “They definitely made me feel welcome. So I’m excited to start the next chapter of my career with a new club that expressed interest in having me.”

The trade represents a move up the MLS Eastern Conference standings for Johnson. NYCFC placed third in 2016 and is expected to be a contender in 2017; the Fire was mired in last place for a second straight season and is trying to rebuild.

It was a difficult seven seasons in Chicago for the club’s 2010 fourth-round draft choice out of Central Florida.

Johnson played in only one playoff game during his time in Chicago, a loss to Houston in 2012.

“Tough is an understatement,” Johnson said. “As a player you want to win games, win championships, you want to go far. To have early exits is not something that goes down easily and that I take lightly.”

Still, Johnson said he enjoyed his time in Chicago.

“That is my home. That’s my second home,” Johnson said. “I’m proud to call it home and I hope that everything goes well for the Fire.”

And there were good experiences with the Fire.

“Draft day. Very special for me, very special moment, the start of my professional career,” he said.

There was also his relationship with Fire goalkeeper coach Aron Hyde, his coach for six seasons.

“I don’t think I’d be where I was without him. Every coach along the way I learned something from. Obviously, some years were better than others,” he said.

And then there was the support of the Fire fans for the player they knew as “the Milkman.”

“It was great,” he said. “That for me was a major bright spot and never changed. Talk about having support, unwavering support from those guys that come out when it’s cold, when it’s hot, when the team is doing well and when it’s not doing well. That’s one of my favorite memories of my time in Chicago.”

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