Fabian Johnson will be on the move again after the World Cup
Following up on a story we first reported two weeks ago, today came official confirmation from Germany. USMNT midfielder/fullback Fabian Johnson signed a four-year contract with the Bundesliga’s Borussia Mönchengladbach. Johnson will leave 1899 Hoffenheim on a free transfer at the end of the current season. The new deal runs through the end of the 2018 season.
The move represents an upward move for Johnson. M’gladbach currently sits sixth in the Bundesliga table, a position that would qualify the club to play in the Europa League next season. They are also just 6 points back of fourth place Schalke 04 in the battle for the final spot in UEFA Champions League.
Johnson completes a three-year run at Hoffenheim that has seen him emerge as a regular fixture in the USMNT starting lineup. Unfortunately, injury troubles hampered his National Team availability for numerous matches during the past season. He still projects to make the final World Cup roster for Brazil and is a candidate to start at multiple positions.
Johnson and 1899 Hoffenheim next play on Sunday, March vs. Wolfsburg.
The UMSNT news across the pond this weekend was a bit short on goal highlights. Nonetheless, some noteworthy updates from around Europe:
It was a solid day for Fabian Johnson with 1899 Hoffenheim in German Bundesliga action. His team fell behind 2:0 early and fought back to earn a draw vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach, thanks in no small part to Johnson’s efforts. Johnson started his second consecutive game at right back and served a critical role in helping his team pull level. He drew a penalty kick call that led to an 82nd minute game-tying goal, as Hoffenheim earned a point to pull 7 points clear of the drop zone. Fabian’s recent foray at right back adds another layer of intrigue to the USMNT depth chart. He’s been featured at both left back and left midfield by Jurgen Klinsmann, but isn’t a clear starter at either spot. The increased versatility shown by also having success on the right should even further solidify his inclusion on the World Cup roster.
Here’s the PK call and the resulting game-tying goal:
Shifting over the The Championship in England, American-born teenager Duane Holmes made his loan debut with Yeovil Town. Yeovil is in a dogfight to avoid relegation to Football League One, currently sitting last in the Championship table. The 19-year-old Holmes, in his debut on an emergency loan from Huddersfield Town, drew a critical PK call in the 57th minute against Doncaster Rovers. The resulting goal ended up being the only score of the game, as Yeovil earned a critical 1:0 victory to pull with three points of the safe zone.
Here’s the penalty call and the deciding goal.
Elsewhere in The Championship, Jonathan Spector returned to the Birmingham City lineup after a four-month injury absence. He started and played 90 minutes at right back alongside fellow American International Will Packwood in a 2:1 victory over Blackpool. Spector made his return after a long recovery from a thigh injury suffered in October.
Oguchi Onyewu returned to the lineup after missing several weeks with a calf injury. Onyewu started and went 90 minutes in a 2:0 over Huddersfield Town.
Eric Lichaj also returned from injury for Nottingham Forest, but remained on the bench in a 3:1 loss to Burnley.
Brek Shea came off the bench in the 63rd minute for Barnsley in a 1:0 win over Millwall, continuing a trend of reduced playing time, likely falling further off the World Cup radar.
And further east in Turkey, Jermaine Jones did not make the game day roster for Besiktas, who fell 1:0 in a key match at Galatasaray. It was previously thought that Jones was ready to return from injury. His availability for the upcoming Ukraine match remains in question.
USMNT midfielder/fullback Fabian Johnson in action for 1899 Hoffenheim. (mlssoccer.com)
Last week we reported that USMNT midfielder/fullback Fabian Johnson would depart his club 1899 Hoffenheim at the end of the current season. A report from “Kicker”, a prominent German sport magazine, claims that Johnson’s next destination is all but finalized.
The report says that, in fact, a trio of players, including VfB Stuffgart winger Ibrahima Traoré and FC Basel goalkeeper Yann Sommer, as well as Johnson, are set to move together to Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach. It was previously expected that Johnson would in fact remain in Germany. The transfer to M’gladbach represents a step upward for Johnson to a club in contention for a place in the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League. M’gladbach current sits fifth in the Bundesliga table, just four points behind Schalke 04 for the league’s final Champions League spot.
Johnson has been sidelined for Hoffenheim’s last two matches while recovering from a broken hand. He resumed training last Wednesday and should be on target to feature in next weekend’s home match against VfB Stuttgart.
Fabian Johnson in action for 1899 Hoffenheim. (mlssoccer.com)
U.S. International Fabian Johnson has informed 1899 Hoffenheim that he will not return to the club after the end of the current season. Head coach Markus Gisdol revealed, “We’ve been fighting since the summer trying to convince Fabian to stay at the club. However, he’s opted for a transfer.” Johnson’s contract expires in May 2014 and has declared his intent to become a free agent and transfer to a new club.
Early speculation has centered on a move elsewhere in the Bundesliga. However, given the recent influx of numerous USMNT players back to Major League Soccer, one would expect that offers to play stateside will come as well. Could a Designated Player contract following the World Cup interest Johnson enough to leave Europe? It may be a tougher sell on the German-born player if attractive offers in the Bundesliga are on the table, but to be sure, MLS will be interested.
Johnson, currently sidelined with a hand injury, is in the midst of his third season at Hoffenheim. After featuring as a regular starter for most of his tenure with the club, his playing time has been greatly reduced in recent months. Injuries also kept Johnson from being called in to the USMNT last fall. While he still figures prominently in coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s plans and may, in fact, be the leading candidate to start at left back, a continued lack of playing time could be problematic for the his World Cup prospects. Johnson is expected to be on the roster for the United States’ friendly in Ukraine next month, so we’ll likely get a clearer picture then of how the depth chart stacks up for Brazil.
Timothy Chandler has long been an enigma in regard to relationship and position with the United States Men’s National Team. His commitment has been called into question in the past. Whatever the case may be, he’s clearly fallen far down the depth chart in the eyes of Head Coach Jurgen Klinsmann. Chandler hasn’t been called in to the USMNT since February 6, 2013, when he started and played a full 90 minutes in a 2-1 World Cup Qualifying loss at Honduras. Chandler’s regular position, right back, continues to be one of much speculation for the U.S. as the summer approaches. While Brad Evans has gotten the lion’s share of starts during the past year, doubts remain. Is there still time for Chandler to reemerge?
Chandler bolstered his case with a very strong performance for FC Nürnberg in a 3-1 victory over Hertha Berlin, a significant win as his club fights to stay out of the Bundesliga’s relegation zone. He started his fourth consecutive match and continues to be a big factor in the attack, a quality that would seem to make Chandler an ideal fit in Klinsmann’s preferred style of play. Despite scoring a goal in his previous match last week vs. Hoffenheim, Chandler may have turned out an even more impressive effort today, earning Man of the Match honors and the highest rating of the game, according to whoscored.com.
If Timmy can continue to have an impressive run of form with Nürnberg, he may earn a call-up for the USMNT match at Ukraine on March 5, the only remaining FIFA date before the World Cup. For all practical terms, this would be his last shot for 2014. It’s getting rather late for Chandler to get back in the picture, but to be sure, Jurgen is watching.
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