When the 2014 World Cup kicks off on 12 June, there can be no doubt a host of players will be there thanks to national team call-ups earned by playing in Germany. The Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 provide a good showcase for players to deliver for their clubs and earn places at the tournament in Brazil. As many as 24 of the competing nations could field players who currently ply their trade in Germany. In the first part of a new series DFB.de introduces some of the candidates. Today we talk to USA hopeful Fabian Johnson from TSG Hoffenheim.
Will Fabian Johnson feature on the right or the left? Both are potential options when Hoffenheim travel to face Schalke on Saturday (live on Sky from 3.30 pm CET). In TSG’s recent matches coach Markus Gisdol has favoured Andreas Beck at left-back and Johnson on the right, so the 26-year-old may well find himself on the less familiar side of the field again. Johnson has already agreed terms on a move to Borussia Mönchengladbach for next season, but before he joins the Foals the USA international will likely have a career highlight under his belt after appearing at the World Cup in Brazil.
Tim Noller of DFB.de spoke to Johnson about the decision to pin his colours to the USA mast, the Bundesliga’s strength in depth and USA’s World Cup meeting with Germany on 26 June in Recife.
DFB.de: Fabian Johnson, four months after you joined Hoffenheim in July 2011 you made your debut for USA, where Jürgen Klinsmann had just taken over as head coach. Do you think players from the Bundesliga might have a slight edge in the circumstances?
Fabian Johnson: I don’t think so. I think the more likely reason is the strength of the Bundesliga, one of the best leagues in the world these days. Every player benefits from that. Klinsmann also has a large scouting team, watching players not only in the Bundesliga but also in the MLS and other leagues.
DFB.de: You’ve already played in a number of positions for USA and Hoffenheim. Where are you most at home?
Johnson: I favour playing on the left. It bothers me less whether I’m attacking or defending, because even as a defender I can often join in attacks. Overall I think I can best play to my strengths in midfield.
DFB.de: Do you talk to Klinsmann in German or English?
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When the 2014 World Cup kicks off on 12 June, there can be no doubt a host of players will be there thanks to national team call-ups earned by playing in Germany. The Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 provide a good showcase for players to deliver for their clubs and earn places at the tournament in Brazil. As many as 24 of the competing nations could field players who currently ply their trade in Germany. In the first part of a new series DFB.de introduces some of the candidates. Today we talk to USA hopeful Fabian Johnson from TSG Hoffenheim.
Will Fabian Johnson feature on the right or the left? Both are potential options when Hoffenheim travel to face Schalke on Saturday (live on Sky from 3.30 pm CET). In TSG’s recent matches coach Markus Gisdol has favoured Andreas Beck at left-back and Johnson on the right, so the 26-year-old may well find himself on the less familiar side of the field again. Johnson has already agreed terms on a move to Borussia Mönchengladbach for next season, but before he joins the Foals the USA international will likely have a career highlight under his belt after appearing at the World Cup in Brazil.
Tim Noller of DFB.de spoke to Johnson about the decision to pin his colours to the USA mast, the Bundesliga’s strength in depth and USA’s World Cup meeting with Germany on 26 June in Recife.
DFB.de: Fabian Johnson, four months after you joined Hoffenheim in July 2011 you made your debut for USA, where Jürgen Klinsmann had just taken over as head coach. Do you think players from the Bundesliga might have a slight edge in the circumstances?
Fabian Johnson: I don’t think so. I think the more likely reason is the strength of the Bundesliga, one of the best leagues in the world these days. Every player benefits from that. Klinsmann also has a large scouting team, watching players not only in the Bundesliga but also in the MLS and other leagues.
DFB.de: You’ve already played in a number of positions for USA and Hoffenheim. Where are you most at home?
Johnson: I favour playing on the left. It bothers me less whether I’m attacking or defending, because even as a defender I can often join in attacks. Overall I think I can best play to my strengths in midfield.
DFB.de: Do you talk to Klinsmann in German or English?
Johnson: It depends on the situation. If we’re talking face-to-face we speak German. If any other players come along we obviously switch to English, because they wouldn’t understand otherwise. That’s exactly how I play it with [Hertha BSC centre back] John Anthony Brooks and [former Schalke midfielder] Jermaine Jones.
DFB.de: Being brought up bilingual was clearly very helpful.
Johnson: Very much so. My mother Sylvia was born in Germany and my father Charles comes from the USA. English classes were relatively easy for me. But Germany is my home; it’s where I spent my entire childhood and teenage years.
DFB.de: So why have you chosen to play for USA?
Johnson: Jürgen Klinsmann offered me the chance of playing for the US national team, although I initially took my time and had a good look at the setup. I gave it a try for a week at a training camp in Los Angeles where I got to know the association, the coaching staff and the other players. I liked it a lot and at the end of the day that was the decisive factor in my decision.
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DFB.de: Did the chance of playing at the World Cup contribute at all?
Johnson: Obviously I have more of a chance of playing at a World Cup with USA. Germany have such quality at the moment, so only a handful of players can be certain of making the final squad.
DFB.de: As luck would have it you’re now set to face Germany at the group stage. Will that be a bit special for you personally?
Johnson: Of course. I’m already looking forward to it and especially coming up against Jérôme [Boateng]. We regularly meet up in Munich when I go to visit my family. But every match at a World Cup is special in any case, especially as it’ll be my first, and it’s in Brazil too.
DFB.de: How would you assess USA’s chances of making the last sixteen?
Johnson: We can do it provided we open with a win over Ghana, although it’s obviously an amazingly tough group. But it’s certainly possible for us to go through.
DFB.de: In the 2006 World Cup film Deutschland - ein Sommermärchen (Germany – A Summer Fairytale) we see coach Klinsmann delivering passionate and emotional team talks to the German players. Is it the same in the USA dressing room?
Johnson: It’s certainly very familiar, with the obvious difference that he delivers his motivational words in English. But it’s not a problem for him and his talks always go down well.
