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Monchengladbach treating Fabian Johnson for injury in aftermath of USMNT dismissal

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Photo by Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports

The plot thickens.

After being sent home from U.S. Men’s National Team duty on Monday, Fabian Johnson has undergone treatment for a thigh injury upon his return to Borussia Monchengladbach, the club announced Tuesday.

The club went on to say that Johnson did not take part in today’s training session and it remains unclear of he will take part in this weekend’s clash with Eintracht Frankfurt.

Johnson was dismissed from the USMNT on Monday by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who said that the veteran needs to rethink his view of the national team. Klinsmann’s frustrations with the fullback stem from Johnson essentially removing himself in extra time of Saturday’s CONCACAF Cup defeat to Mexico despite having no apparent injury.

Prior to joining up with the USMNT, Johnson was sidelined by a calf problem and only returned to action on Sept. 23. Johnson played 111 minutes on Saturday before coming off.

The U.S. is back in action Tuesday night for a friendly against Costa Rica.

What do you think of the latest Johnson news? Confused as to what is going on? What do you expect to happen in the coming weeks? Still wishing to hear from Johnson himself?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. The coach had a tittie attack and took out his frustration on Fabian. Thats all that happened. Fire Klinsman and dump altidore.

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  2. Those commenters who are saying “it is an unwritten rule of sports to never take yourself out of the game,” I gotta think you’ve never actually played sports.

    I played collegiate baseball, my daughter is in the ODP program, and coaches are constantly stressing that players do NOT overextend themselves, that they have honest dialog with their coaches during training and during games about their fitness, readiness, and capabilities. Hell, I played like 100 years ago when all coaches were neanderthals and they still knew they couldn’t play guys hurt. At least in sports other than football.

    That said – Williams must have changed his tune during the match and that’s what pissed Klinsmann off. Staff probably asked all field players at the start of the extra time “who can go all 30? Who can’t?” And Johnson said “sure another 30 for me no problem” and then changed his mind and messed up Klinsmann’s substitution plan. But that’s just a guess.

    THAT said – if Klinsmann is once again dumping the blame for his lack of results on an injured player, this guy has really come off the rails. Regardless of whether or not Johnson lied about his conditioning, told Klinsmann the USA could go f#Ik itself, or simply misjudged his own level of fitness, Klinsmann is way out of line pointing the blame arrow at any player, let alone a guy just coming off injury who ONLY gave him 111 minutes in 98º heat.

    I concur with the consensus – Klinsmann’s gone about as far as he can with this club. Probably he can’t/won’t be fired due to his guaranteed contract, but that contract is a ticking clock. The closer we get to the end of it, the less $$ US Soccer stand to lose by cutting Klinsmann loose. Iff the US start dropping WC qualifiers, well, I’d say that Herr Klinsmann can start booking some more helicopter time at Perris.

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  3. and the plot thickens. reports now saying teammates upset with FJ for “quitting”, that it was a hammy issue not a thigh, and that FJ told medical staff it was only tightness…which was confirmed by US medical staff after exam…

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    • Doesn’t matter – you keep it in-house. If the players don’t want him in the future, you don’t pick him for the team and you let the fans speculate – ala Harkes in 1994

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    • Well the hamstring IS part of the thigh, so that’s correct. If the US physio confirmed that there was tightness (and that is able to be detected easily) then there needs to be a ton of bricks dropped on Klinsmann. Tightness is one of the first signs that the muscle tissue is not processing well. And in most cases will lead to either a cramp or more frighteningly, a muscle tear. If Johnson was coming off a hamstring problem, then most likely it had not 100 percent healed and if it was not, then the muscle exhaustion caused by 110 minutes of play will occur earlier than when it would be under normal period of exertion. In short FJ muscles signaled to him they might tear. FJ, as a seasoned pro and attuned to his body, immediately stopped running to ease the stress on the hamstring. When you can’t run, you can’t play. So he signaled for a sub. Which upset Klinsmann as he was apparently saving the sub for a Guzan-rimando sub for the shoot-out, which is a risky ploy and only works a small percentage of the time.So JK was pissed.

      The other thing I would offer up is, as a coach for over 20 years and 10 of those at an elite level, is, as a coach, you would never take to issue publicly an problem you had with a player over his performance. In fact, as I remember that was standard policy with the USOC in a handbook. There are exception, though, but this was not one.

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      • hey man, i did not add any opinions on the matter, just regurgitating information. i will say his original issue that kept him out, and that he had just recovered from, was a calf muscle issue, not hammy/thigh. but i know nothing about being a physio or muscle injuries, so not much i can do with that note.

        and again, i 100% agree about keeping it internal. i find it surprising that whoever told Doug M of ESPN this information would mention that the players were upset with FJ. an all around fail.

  4. Ok, i have backed JK for a long time. He makes me scratch my head many times, but a good portion of his subs come on and make an impact. that being said, maybe he has lost the vets. I dont know, maybe you do.

    MY QUESTION: If they fire Klinsy, who is available that is better? I honestly don’t know and am curious to know what options are out there.

    I remember when Nebraska fired Their head football coach Solich because he only went 10-3, 11-2, maybe 9-4 every year, following Tom Osbourne. What they didnt realize is NOONE WANTED THE JOB. Evidently not many people want to move their families to the corn fields of Lincoln, Nebraska. Evidently, its really hard to get great athletes to ignore the offerings of the west coach beaches and blond haired beauties, SEC coaching/NFL level coaching and opportunities to play on national tv 6 times a year. So my point is, we need to look at who will coach the US if JK is fired.

    Just a thought from a sad, discouraged Huskers fan. #Realitysucks.

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    • Maybe no one wanted the coaching job. But it was probably because of the demands from the school, the state and the fans. The rewards are very high pay, national exposure, and gateway to the NFL. If you are a football good player, it used to be a no-brainer as it too was a door to the NFL. Sometimes when your country/club gets so big, or so good. The pool of qualified applicants actually shrinks and it takes someone with a big ego to take the reigns

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  5. I believe that regardless of whether the faults of the team are a result of his managing or “technical directing”, there needs to be a change made. If anything else, due to the negativity and division that has been festering within the team and fan base for quite some time now.

    I have been a fan since ’94 and I have to say, I never felt this negative about this national team than I do right now. The sad thing is that I have said that statement more than once over the past year. As a fan, much like many others, I am bored and down on this team. For the first time, I have no interest in watching tonight’s game. (I did DVR it knowing that I will regret not watching, ugh). But I am a very dedicated, long time fan. If I am feeling this way, what interest does casual fans have?

    US soccer is not non for profit. If ratings and attendance go down, a move will be made.

    Say what you want about past cycles. We have had less talented players keep possession and be more exciting to watch against Mexico. I recall when past teams were in training camps, they actually looked like a cohesive team. This team looks just as lost playing together for two weeks let alone two days.

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  6. An unfettered, hot mess JK has created………..solutions?
    go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcelo_Bielsa . check out his GOAL.com ratings and accomplishments. We need a coach with experience at the professional and NT levels with the Tactical capabilities, personnel management experience to move the program forward. Otherwise, I vote for BB, or Arena again.

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    • That’s funny. Bradley has stated that he wants to continue as a club coach only. And Arena? He has his grandson in his lap at most press conferences these days. He’s got a nice life in sunny So Cal and I highly doubt he has any wish to go back to the days of jumping on planes to fly all over the earth for matches against Bosnia or Antigua or anyone else.

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    • What is annoying is that is seems that a lot of those slamming JK (who does deserve some criticism) slammed Bradley and now want him back.

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  7. When I was replaying the goals for my son the other day (+ or – about 2 mins on either side), in one of the 1st or 2nd ET goals there was a shot of Johnson in a throw-in sequence where you clearly see he feels a twinge and stiffens and grimaces – whether he is injured or just got run into the ground is another question.

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  8. I have not been JK’s biggest fan, but this comment about FJ is not acceptable protocol.

    2015 is the start of a transition from the 2014 WC to trying to find a team for the 2018. The Gold Cup this summer could have simply been explained away as trying out different players – such as sticking with Alvarado and Brooks even though they weren’t successful. the problems was created by JK’s own comments that the Gold Cup was top priority to qualify for the Confed Cup. They failed, and failed miserably. 4th Place is not acceptable.

    I held out some hope, because the run up to the Gold Cup in 2013 wasn’t much better. Remember that the US lost to Canada twice in friendlies. However, JK turned it around for the 2013 Gold Cup and successfully navigated a WC qualifying round, and got us out of the toughest group at the WC finals. Again, to fail to get to the final and then to put out a fairly miserable display against Mexico, even though the score was close, was disheartening.

    But to call out a player who could be a foundational player through 2018 is the sign of a coach trying to deflect criticism. Even if it is true, FJ played for 111 minutes before he called for a sub. I doubt that he was going to be int he top 5 for penalties. And JK further announces that he was saving a sub to put in 5’1″ Rimando (joke) to stop penalties?

    That is not the right way to go about things and in my opinion a sign that JK is losing the plot now that he is suffering some criticism.

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    • Rimando is an amazing shot stopper, no doubt. That being said, If you’re saving your sub and end up going down 3 minutes before time is called, it doesn’t matter who you saved the sub for: you’re going home.

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  9. Man, at the moment, this place (and others) feels like a “mid-major” college football bulletin board transformation. To borrow a JK catch word: This whole USMNT negativity thing is such a “bummer.” Hate to say it, but the US is a developing soccer nation on the outside looking in on UEFA and CONMEBOL. aka. mid-major.

    Give it time and perspective. To develop. Men’s soccer is still in relative infancy here.

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    • Great analogy. I don’t see a team from the MAC or WAC or CONFUSA hating their coach because they can’t beat Alabama and LSU…..

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      • At the risk of being too literal, is Mexico more Alabama/LSU or Vanderbilt/Kentucky? Or would they maybe be more like Boise State a couple of years back?

      • Sparty, i never implied this. I was alluding to the fact that US fans in general have an odd attitude considering we’re just aren’t that good. it’s as if they say ‘if we’re not the best then we’re the worst’ and that’s not good logic to have.

        Carter, in the analogy i would say mexico is a top third ACC team. we’ll say GT. they can be good but they can also be horrible. lol

      • A while back, fans and media of my “mid-major” team were either spouting off about matching up with national champions after a win; OR wanting to fire the coach for poor tactics and mismanagement after a loss. Now, I can see if we were ‘Bama or OSU…But we were friggin’ overachiever, second helping “U” so-to-speak.
        I’m an absolute fan of the MNT. JK is not beyond criticism, absolutely. At the same time, I think a certain segment of fans and media need a reality check. Right now, and for the foreseeable future, the MNT are overachievers with finite technical and tactical acumen vis-à-vis Brazil, Spain, Germany, Belgium, etc, etc…

      • Dare I say, the MNT is not at a point where defeating regional CONCACAF teams is a necessary lock. Not yet, anyway.

      • U are correct and we never have been that way. So it’s unfair for ppl to hate on a coach for keeping the status quo in some aspects and bettering in others. 🙂

    • College soccer is inherently a different game from professional/international ball. I’d want to see what he could do in a professional setting before priming him for the USMNT job.

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      • I’m not sure players would listen to a coach who hasn’t ‘been there.’ This is a professional all-star team after all. I know Coach K did what he did with the U.S. Olympic basketball team, but that seems like a different situation.

        The profile needed, I believe, is a former USMNT player with experience in qualifiers and the World Cup, who is/was respected by players and former teammates, and who isn’t going to drive the locker room crazy by making it about himself. Also, preferably a defender or midfielder back in his playing days.

        Club coaching experience is nice to have but not required. This isn’t that kind of management job. It’s just understanding the difference between club and national team tactics, and then whatever inherent eye for talent each candidate brings to the table.

      • I agree, and I don’t think it’s necessarily about the “professional” aspect of the game. I do think that the rules and tactics of the college game are fundamentally different from the game that everyone else plays. I would like to see how someone performs under “FIFA” rules before declaring them a candidate for the USMNT head coaching position.

  10. The last few games the team seems to be uninspired. Along with JKs lack of consistency in the back line and why was Jones playing in the wings!!! I didn’t get the tactics at all. VERY confused.

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  11. I’ve never been a big JK fan. But, I tend to believe that coaches get too much credit and too much blame in soccer. Still, JK has done precious little to save his job. So many coaches would have been dropped after the GC fiasco, or even sooner (what other coach would have survived dropping Donavon for the WC, then having no ready adequate replacement for Altidore and then failing to advance any further than the US has done in 3 of the 4 previous WCs?)

    I think it is clear that changing coaches probably will not make a big difference, but JK’s performance has left no reason for his retention and lots of reasons for dropping him.

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  12. Fabian Johnson just came back from injury and a smart coach would have adjusted his game plan to know that FJ most likely couldn’t go a full 90 (or maybe a full 90, but not extra time). Makes sense given that he is not in tip top game shape. A competent coach would know his players and plan for this…I wonder where a competent coach is…wait! I looked across the field to that guy in the CONCACAF practice jersey!

    Ferretti started both Guardado and Marquez, two players returning from injury, and guess what? He subbed them out as he knew that their fitness levels were not up to speed. They were the first two subs even though Tuca had Vela and Tecatito, two huge attacking options on the bench…because Tuca knew that those two players couldn’t go the full time.

    It was obvious that three players were gassed/not cutting it: Beasley, FJ, and Dempsey. Instead of making subs starting in the 65th minute, he runs them into the ground. I don’t have an issue with FJ saying he couldn’t go, his coach should have known his fitness level. Isn’t Klinsmann all about “fitness” and he doesn’t even know the fitness level of his own players? Come on.

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    • I thought about this too. I remember being really surprised when Guardado was subbed, but in retrospect i can see that he was managing the time of those guys who had been doing a lot of running. JK would have been better doing what you say, subbing Jones or Dempsey around the 60 min to get fresh legs. I know this is easier to say after the game, but it is one clear area where Ferretti outcoached JK. Now about the tactics…

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      • All I know is I’ve never seen a Mexico team cut down passing lanes like that – great defensive effort during run of play that easily could have resulted in a clean sheet for their keeper in 90 minutes, except for that one free kick where Bradley found Cameron.

  13. this is out of control. whether you like or dislike JK, the “he said, she said” BS is unreal. as if publicly throwing players under the bus wasn’t bad enough, now we have his club essentially calling JK a liar.

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  14. This should all be in-house stuff. Gulati and Klinsmann are going to have some serious talks. I do not see this man getting fired yet, unless he has totally lost the locker room. I understood Klinsmann’s game plan in the one game playoff, and it was not bad but the key for me was subbing Beasley out as many have stated. If a Shea or Chandler would have been available, he does get subbed out. Even if Klinsmann has lost most of the locker room, he still might not get fired. He probably starts his own locker room.

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  15. Fire Klinsmann anyway. Klinsmann costing US Soccer more than Klinsmann’s salary: lost TV income from Confederations Cup 2016 and “Centenario” in 2016, Olympics money and honor, sponsorship etc…

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    • How is JK to blame for the 2016 tournament? He didnt come up with it nor deny it being held in the US

      Also you can give him credit. If it was not for the uS losing in the gold cup there would be no CONCACAF Cup which was a cash cow for the region. It was just $$$$$$

      So

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      • It’s not just improving the region, but “US Soccer” improving by bigger steps, rather falling and not able pick “good” soccer results and play like Guatemala.

    • not sure how JK has anything to do with Copa Centenario and i highly doubt the TV revenue from the Confeds Cup would cover the cost of his contract. and have faith, we still could qualify for the Olympics! lol

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  16. This is why we should limit the player pool to those born and raise in the US. We need players that grew up dreaming of playing for the USNT, not those that tried to player for another country and settle for the US after their option failed to pan out. As good as he is, if his heart is not 100% in it then he should leave.

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    • This is why we should make the internet off-limit to idiots.

      Don’t judge people.

      Every situation is different – Earnie Stewart, Thomas Dooley, Tab Ramos, you think they didn’t give us everything they had? We owe our love of this sport to them.

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    • It’s an individual thing, not anything more than that. First, we don’t know exactly what went on or if FJ failed to give it his all. Second, Jermaine Jones has always been a gritty and determined fighter for his country. Even German American Dooley from about 20 years ago always played hard for the US.

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      • And Earnie Stewart – 14 year USMNT career, 101 games, 17 goals, 10 assists, 3 World Cups.

        hmmm, guess his heart just wasn’t 100% enough.

    • Klinsmann is not going anywhere anytime soon as the USSF hired him to take this team to the next level and finish strong at the 2018 World Cup (semifinals I believe he said). The only two ways he gets axed is if the USA fails in qualifying or an outright player revolt where best players refuse to play for him….barring those 2 scenarios I think he will be around for the foreseeable future.

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    • While that certainly will play a a role in the decision, US Soccer has to pay him that money if he coaches as well. So the $7 to $8 million is gone either way, so that is not the additional cost to fire him. The additional cost would be what you pay his replacement. Unfortunately for US Soccer, Klinsmann probably raised the salary of that position going forward, but they would most likely be able to take someone from MLS, and give them $2 million + bonuses through the 2018 World Cup. Thus the true cost of firing Klinsmann is closer to $2-$3 million (Might be more when considering assistants and Technical director, but do we know the assistants contract dates, plus with Klinsmann he has already fired assistants, so you might have those costs either way). Also, how much money have US Soccer lost by failing to make it to the Confederations Cup? I don’t know, but my guess is probably enough to hire Klinsmann’s replacement. Either way, Klinsmann is a sunk cost, and there is no getting it back, however, that should not play a role in future decisions. I have very little faith in Gulati, but he is an economics professor, so I sure hope he can comprehend Sunk Cost.

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  17. As a neutral (non US citizen) priority is to keep Johnson happy in the Natl team. He’s quality and I don’t know how true the rumor was that Barca wanted him at one point…But I watch the B liga and I really like this guy. US Soccer; Do your best to resolve this issue!!!! He did play until he could no longer tolerate against Mexico!! so keep him happy and don’t upset the guy

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    • It’s never a priority to kowtow to the player but Johnson does not strike me as a primadonna. I believe he was hurt during the game and Klinsmann wanted him to play through it. Deference should be to the player in my opinion. Muscle strains seem to be more prevalent under Klinsmann.

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  18. I think Klinsman should be fired because (1) he deserves it, and (2) the US could do better. Klinsman has accomplished all he is capable of, mainly in the area of recruiting. I don’t believe he possesses any more tactical skill or managerial skill than many others, though his name and persona have served the purpose of bringing in a lot of new folks that might not otherwise have signed with the US. On the other hand, I believe the US job is a cushy job for a manager because it pays well, is in a great market for personal exposure as a manager, is well supported by a growing fan base and is committed to improving. Most of all, however, is the fact that it is difficult to get fired from that job because everyone knows that the US talent level is not top tier. I think that job would be attractive to a lot of top international coaches, and we could do better than Klinsman.

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  19. Not totally trying to be THAT guy but I was shocked how many people have backed fj here and hated on the coach4 albeit fj seems to be a crowd favorite.

    Let’s hypothesize that Jozy was still in at the 111′ and begged to come off. Then jk sends him home the next morning. How many people would say “jks just covering up for his bad coaching” or “Jozy was just trying to help the team by subbing out to not be a liability he should be cheered for subbing himself out”? Again, I’m just curious. Seems to me that a player broke an unspoken rule. U don’t ever ask to be subbed out unless u are clearly injured. Coaches loathe that stuff. The player did that and now is in the coaches dog house. This all seems normal. No need to throw the coach into the fire, his reaction seemed, to me, to be completely normal.

    But what do I know……

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    • I’ll wait and see what the extent of the injury is that Fabian has prior to laying down my judgment on this issue…people are just too quick to take sides and FJ gets a bit more leeway because he is one of the players US fans see as upper level. The whole situation is confusing as to who knew what when and it’s best to wait a week and see what the real story is when all the facts come out. Klinsmann needs to focus on righting this ship starting with Thursday…I wouldn’t expect a lot of the guys who went the full 120 to suit up at their full level for this friendly anyway (so FJ going home is not a big loss) and the guys coming in need to treat this as an open audition-no one is guaranteed a starting spot on this team.

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      • Another thing I suspect folks are considering is track record. FJ isn’t just one of our best players; he also has a lot of caps and has never picked up a reputation as a drama queen, slacker, etc. Pretty much plays where he’s asked to play, without complaint (at least not aired in public).

    • I would be willing to bet that if your scenario had happened, the vast majority of the responses would have been that Jozy is just lazy. He doesn’t play hard, etc. We don’t see this with other players and I have never said this before because this thought never came to me before, but why is it that a lot of people say Jozy is lazy? Could it be because it plays into a racial stereotype?The persistence of that charge does make me wonder. I’m sure people will blast me for this, but we certainly see a lot of this with our President.

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      • “the vast majority of the responses would have been that Jozy is just lazy. He doesn’t play hard,”….that’s him on a regular basic so why state the obvious? and I don’t think we would have a problem with him leaving because his replacements usually score (Wondo of all people , Bobbie Wood) so no I don’t think people would say anything

  20. Fabian Johnson played HURT….so Klinsmann don’t try to put your failures on him or act like he quit on the team. HE HAD AN INJURY AND YOU STILL PLAYED HIM TO THE GROUND…..till he said enough is enough.

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    • Don’t martyr fj.

      If he was hurt wouldn’t the best thing to do for the team be to say ‘coach I’m injured and can’t play’…? So ur rewarding a player for selfishly not telling his coach about an injury and playing through it which is detrimental to the team?

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      • According to Klinsmann you don’t say ‘I’m injured and can’t play’ – you play no matter what your condition because that shows ‘heart’.

        I absolutely think that Fabian was trying to do the best thing possible for the team. Every athlete at this level knows their body (or should), and if at the 110′ of the game his injury & fitness reach a point where he is a detriment to the team (see the second goal where he is walking in no-man’s-land) he should tell the coach he needs to come out. It’s up to Klinsmann to actually make the sub.

        I hear that JK was mad because he was saving his last sub for Rimando to come in and beast the PK’s. While I love the idea of Rimando in the net for those, I absolutely think it’s the wrong call to save a sub for a keeper swap.

        In no way is that ‘proactive’ – get your energy and talent on the field in extra time so that you don’t need PK’s!!!!

        In the end it’s just JK being pissy about something that didn’t happen.

      • Actually, trying to save a sub for your arguably best-PKGK-on-the-planet would have been pretty great strategy if they could have pulled that off. Imagine if Rimando had come on in the 119th minute and then made two or three stops in the pk shootout to win it? We’d all have been talking about what a genius Herr Klinsmann is. Instead, we’re three hundred posts in on Fabian Johnson’s “issues,” and banging the drum to get Klinsmann fired. Such is soccer.

      • exactly, detractors act like JK is the first person to use the ‘sub a GK in for PKs’ tactic…. lol

    • We don’t know enough to make a reasonable judgment. Only FJ knows for sure. The comments on this thread are just showing the leanings/biases of the posters if they come down on one side or another. A lot of knee jerk reaction on anything Klinsmann.

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  21. I don’t see the plot thickening at all. FJ most likely got banged up and his thigh was starting to tighten. Monchengladbach has a financial interest in FJ’s well being. Klinsmann doesn’t, at least not to the same degree. Klinsmann is more likely to expect his players to leave everything on the field in any given game because, in his mind, someone like FJ has a month off before the next time he’s needed. In the view of Monchengladbach, that’s a ridiculous perspective, but it is what it is (and it becomes what it is now when we have a coach who seemingly tends to make the team about himself).

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    • i think this is important to note. it’s no surprise ‘Gladbach would side with FJ being cautious given their financial interest. what i want to know is what the US medical staff said. is JK underplaying the injury? or is ‘Gladbach overplaying it?

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      • According to Klinsmann (I believe), the team doctors checked him out after he came of and there was no injury. Seriously, JK has no reason to lie here. If Fabs really had been injured there’s no way JK reacts the way he did.

    • One consistency in soccer is the conflict between club teams and national teams. Most club teams hate to see their good players go to international call ups and really hate it when they are injured there. A lot of times they try to stop it. MLS is actually more flexible, it seems to me, than many other leagues. Also, I suspect that it is worse when a player leaves a club team in one country to play for another country. Leaving a club team in your country to then play for that country doesn’t seem to engender quite as much conflict.

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    • Klinsmann wanted the team and the players to leave every they had on the line for HIM, BECAUSE his job was on the line, not theirs. That a pretty bad place to be since you intentionally left the best player of the team for the WC, or you threw player under the bus for mistakes while playing a new or different position, or you played favorites or because you had no rhyme or reason for some player selections.

      No, your goose was cooked or “Ihre goose gar ist” Which ironically come from a old German phrase from the 13th century. meaning you’re finished.

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  22. Fire Klinsmann. As a manager, he is less accomplished than both Arena and Bradley who were let go when their run had ended. Klinsmann’s run has ended. I feel that JK did a good job guiding the U.S. over the last 4 years and he implemented some new ideas and strategies, but his run hasn’t been so outstanding that he deserves to stick around any longer. Let’s get some fresh blood in now before qualifying commences.

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    • I agree his time should be over, but in fairness to Klinsmann, he’s about as accomplished as either Bradley or Arena. Under Arena, we got the furthest in a World Cup finals but also followed that with a three-and-out fours years later. Under Bradley, we won our World Cup group, and he won and lost a Gold Cup finals. Under Klinsmann, we came in second in a tougher World Cup group, and won and finished fourth in the Gold Cup. Plus, Klinsmann has a slightly higher winning percentage and a couple notable results in friendlies.

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      • Basically, the results produced by Arena, Bradley and JK with the USMNT are a wash (and truthfully that’s a bit of a disservice to Arena’s tenure as both Bradley and Klinsmann inherited a better pool of players). Having said that, the experience and success of Bradley and Arena on the club level gives them the edge over JK, IMO.

      • Lol…. The coaches club success has nothing to do with NT coaching and success.

        Pep couldn’t take vietnams team to the World Cup final so don’t bring in club coaching success. Intl soccer is totally different for many reasons.
        At least u made me laugh tho…

      • People here often talk about how Klinsmann only had success with the German national team because Loew was in charge of tactics. While Loew had some success in Germany and Austrian club teams, he also had an equal number of failures. He had one team relegated from 2nd to 3rd division in
        Germany, got fired from Fenerbace for poor results and was out of a job when Klinsmann hired him to assist with the national team. They had met a number of years before at a coaching clinic. So, you are absolutely right.

      • Gary, you forgot to mention that Klinsmann and Loew might have been lovers, as rumored/whispered by some in Germany at the time and after. Is this confirmed? No. Is it relevant? No. Is it slanderous? Maybe. Is it juicy gossip? Yes!

      • And no, it doesn’t belong here. It’s irrelevant. The game of soccer is not the game of football. Soccer coaches have less influence on the game than players. The quality of play is much better than it used to be. The US used to win but the skills at times were pathetic. Things are moving in the right direction. The improvement in MLS soccer is really noticeable and that has to do with importing European players like Thierry Henry, Pirlo, Giovinco, and a South-American player like Kaka.

        If everything depended on Klinsmann why weren’t Dempsey and Altidore scoring? Altidore was not playing any better than at Sunderland.

      • …and of course, Bradley had the same quality players in Norway as Klinsmann did in Bavaria.

        Bottom line: 1) this isn’t about Bradley anymore, 2) Klinsmann was given one of the best rosters in the world and managed to underwhelm with it.

        So now we have a break in which half the USMNT fanbase thinks Klinsmann knows so much more about this game than anyone else available to coach the team and the other half of that fanbase is now convinced they are seeing a naked emperor.

      • well if there’s a big divide, I’m gonna squat in the middle same as in politics because the extremists on both sides are nuts.

      • remember, Bradley won 2007 GC against Mexico but lost 2009 and 2011 to Mexico. sometimes people forget he coached 3 of them.

      • Sometimes people also forget that that 2009 GC was a C team (with Jay Heaps starting at RB), because Bradley was too busy beating Spain and taking Brazil to the brink in the Confed Cup.

      • absolutely, which is why it’s not a huge deal, IMO. 2009 was an “off-year” also. but he lost to a Mexican C team 5-0. so does it really matter it was a USA C team?

      • And yet never managed to do as poorly in one as Klinsmann… Arena won two and finished 3rd in one.

        Not to fuel the fire, but IMO Klinsmann’s time with the US team (and only speaking to that measure at this point) has a ways to go compared to Arena and Bradley.

        With the Gold Cup, Klinsmann’s record sports the worst finish of the three managers. He may have won one on the shoulders of his least favorite player, but Bradley equals that and Arena beats it having won two.

        With regard to the World Cup, yes, Arena had a WC hangover under the weight of the highest expectations ever placed on a US team. That said, I don’t think you can even come close to comparing what Klinsmann accomplished in 2014 to the best ever finish for the US in the World Cup, against very good opponents and being a hair(hand) away from beating Germany to make it to the semis. Getting out of the group we had in Brazil is something to be proud of, but it simply doesn’t compare.

        Bradley and JK are comparable. Winning an easier group and extra time defeat in the knockout round vs surviving a really tough group and riding Tim Howard to keep it close against Belgium.

        However, Bradley still easily gets the edge for me, having taken us to our first ever final in a FIFA tournament, beating the best team in the world 2-0 to get there and then taking it to Brazil pretty well in the final before running out of gas.

        Talk win percentage if you want… JK can have that. I’ll take the big results of the other two over a high win percentage and impressive friendly results any day. JK has time to change that legacy, but he’s not at all there yet for me.

      • holy crap this isn’t about comparing the two. just pointing out that the original comment should have included 3 total GCs for Bradley.

      • Well… didn’t mean my reply only to address your comment (probably should have replied higher up)… but in the context of John’s post and the replies, it is a comparison of them and their time with the national team and relative accomplishments.

      • We can probably set aside that 2009 one because all of our best players were absent due to Confed Cup. Similar to how we could set aside the 2013 one for Klinsmann because Mexico did the same thing.

      • who said otherwise? my comment is about Bob actually having 3, not 2, GCs. that’s it.

        i am very well aware that 2009 was the Confeds Cup year and so our GC squad was C squad. but so was everyone else’s team because it was an “off year”. our C team got destroyed by Mexico’s C team. but that was not the point I was making anyway.

      • why can we set aside 2013? that makes no sense. we had a B team, Mexico had a B team. only Panama brought an A team which is who knocked Mexico out and who we beat in the final. i truly don’t understand how you can just “throw up 2013″…it had 0.5 of a CC berth on the line.

        2009 had nothing on the line. like, at all. just a bunch of C teams going at it.

      • Yeah, but Klinsmann was hired to take us to the next level. So, doing as well as previous coaches really isn’t particularly heartening.

    • But I do agree that something seems very wrong right now with this team, and whether it is the coach’s fault or not, we need a change.

      Reply
      • The coach isn’t going to change but lessons (hopefully) were learned. We have the first qualifier in about a month’s time against St Vincent and Grenadines. The lineup we saw against Mexico cannot be our lineup going into qualification as many of our older players (and younger) need to be re-evaluated for the usefulness to the team going forward. To be fair, the reason why JK played Beasley, Beckerman, Jones, Dempsey and called in the likes of Rimando and Wondolowski is because he didn’t think he had anyone better-if that’s an honest evaluation then it is a scary one going forward. Managers are evaluated by wins and losses-I’d hope JK would have turned this team over personnel wise if he thought he could get results with different/newer/younger guys-we saw what we saw on Saturday and certain guys need to be changed but it may not make the US better and people may have to swallow that pill.

      • The coach is going to change at some point. Either before qualifiers or after the cycle is over, which for us may happen a year before we want to acknowledge is possible.

        The question is when. What gives us the best chance of qualifying – a coach who can’t adapt to opponents’ tactics and who seemingly is driving players in the pool nuts, or his replacement?

      • or it could be Klinsmann being a less than honorable manager who is willing to lie and say anything to make himself look less horrible.

      • …or you could just be letting your own prejudices show. Jeff Carlisle mentioned that FJ teammates thought he was giving up and talked to him and JK, ESPNfc said and Ives stated as much However, YOU must know something they don’t.

      • If FJ really was injured what JK did makes him look far more horrible, the same that your lack of reasoning is doing to you.

    • Johnson was two weeks back from injury, Klinsy played him 111 minutes before he cried uncle for fear of hurting himself more. All that after Klinsy probably ran him and the rest the team through 5 a days to up their “fitness”. I think everyone including the players is rapidly becoming disillusioned with JK the two-faced fool of a coach. I just wish if players really were upset, they would speak out. That’s the odd part, why haven’t players like Bradley (or the older ones that are pretty much done with the national team) spoken out? Is it really as bad as we the fan seem to think?

      Reply

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