United States international Fabian Johnson is in the form of his life for club team Borussia Monchengladbach. If Johnson consistently performs at this level for the Foals over the course of the campaign, it could well represent the greatest season ever for a US soccer player in a top European league.
On Saturday, the German-American was sent racing through a Bayern Munich defense containing Jérome Boateng and Philipp Lahm before finishing cooly with a right-footed shot past Manuel Neuer. It was Johnson’s fifth goal in just over a month for Monchengladbach, a run of form that has American soccer fans hoping he can replicate those feats for the national team.
#USMNT midfielder Fabian Johnson stays onside, and adds a third for Gladbach to continue his goalscoring form. https://t.co/qB6D4fa0Om
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 5, 2015Johnson has been instrumental in getting Borussia Monchengladbach up to third place in the Bundesliga. They are unbeaten in their last seven league matches and 11 games overall, a streak that coincides exactly with Johnson’s stellar play.
While the season is still young, Johnson has amassed 15 appearances, 6 goals and 2 assists in the Bundesliga and Champions League this year. He’s scored goals against quality opposition like Juventus, Sevilla, Bayern Munich and Hoffenheim.
Such attacking heights, in a major European league no less, have rarely been reached historically by the US pool of players. You’d have to go as far back to Clint Dempsey’s 2011-12 season with Fulham to find similar output. Dempsey scored 23 goals in all competitions for Fulham that year, including 17 in the Premier League, and finished fourth on the FWA Footballer of the Year list.
This was also the period during which Dempsey became the undisputed focal point of the United States attack, tallying 33 appearances and 17 goals between 2011 and 2013.
Unfortunately for fans of the United States, it’s the hope that kills you. While Johnson has been able to play in an advanced role on the left side of midfield for his club side, his versatility has seen him play sparingly there for the United States.
Used primarily as a left or right sided defender for his country, Johnson’s play for Gladbach has called into question the wisdom of such positioning. He possesses great pace, excellent technique and a positional sense that few other American players exhibit. He rarely loses the ball and makes extremely well timed runs to get into dangerous positions.
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Johnson’s deployment in the American defense represents the United States’ greatest need. US manager Jurgen Klinsmann viewed him as one of the best right backs at the 2014 World Cup and the left back position remains unsettled.
While Johnson can occassionally showcase these skills from the full-back position, the frequency with which he's highlighting his best attributes at Gladbach demonstrate a need to get the player further up the pitch.
Johnson's start to the campaign is made all the more remarkable in a year that started so disastrously for the veteran. Injuries restricted his early appearances for Gladbach while a spat with Klinsmann resulted in the player being acrimoniously dismissed from camp after the US lost 3-2 to Mexico in the CONCACAF Cup.
At the time, Klinsmann made no attempt to cover his disdain for Johnson's late substitution in that match. “I had a very severe word with Fabian Johnson," said Klinsmann,"and I sent him home today. He can rethink his approach about his team.”
It may be time that Klinsmann rethinks his approach as to how he’s playing Johnson. While his versatility is a strong attribute for any side to have, and especially so for any manager, there comes a time when the sacrifices you are supposedly making for the group could ultimately be hurting more than helping.
For Johnson, he seems to be happy helping the team wherever he slots in, but he also admitted that, “of course, it’s easier for everybody if you just have one position, you can focus on your opponent. You can train your automatism, your runs and your plays.”
The focus and certainty that Monchengladbach have offered Johnson has now seen the club reap the rewards. The question remains, will Klinsmann and the United States follow suit?
