Fabian Johnson set to leave Hoffenheim this summer
At the TSG Hoffenheim press conference ahead of their weekend matchup with SC Freiburg in the German Bundesliga, manager Markus Grisdol announced that American international Fabian Johnson would be moving on from the club at the end of his contract, which expires after this season. Johnson, who is almost a certain fixture for the World Cup squad, has drawn interest from Borussia Monchengladbach and Hertha Berlin, who are currently 5th and 8th in the table respectively. Hoffenheim sits at 11th.
Monchengladbach, where Michael Bradley played four seasons, qualified for the Champions League as recently as last year. Hertha played in the Europa League in 2010. Hoffenheim has never qualified for a European competition. Part of me feels this is a large part of the reason Fab wants to move on at the end of the year. At 26-years-old and playing some of the best soccer of his career, he is right to make a move up from a stagnant Hoffenheim side.
Some people are worried that Fab’s playing time may suffer for the remainder of his time at Hoffenheim now that it is official he will be moving on at the end of the year. However, I feel that his playing time won’t suffer at all. When healthy, he has been a regular in the lineup and all signs point to manager Grisdol looking forward to his return from a broken right hand.
“It is a pity that he is going. But he has promised to give full throttle to the end”, Grisdol said in the press conference. “And there is no reason for us to doubt it.”
Fab has been available as a substitute for Hoffenheim’s last two matches, never missing a chance to dress even after having screws put in his right hand. However, he has yet to play since the surgery. Hoffenheim’s next match is Saturday as they host 16th-place Freiburg.
Agudelo nets first European goal
American Juan Agudelo scored his first goal in Europe for his new club FC Utrecht in the Netherlands. It was Agudelo’s third appearance for the 12th-place Utrecht. His first goal jubilation was spoiled by the visitors, however, who buried two goals after Utrecht went down to ten men following a 58th minute red card.
Agudelo’s goal was a beautiful strike from 18 yards out. After a midfield turnover, Utrecht countered down the left side. The winger sent the ball into the box on the ground, and after a botched clearance, Agudelo gathered the ball onto his right foot and drilled the ball upper netting for the game’s first goal. The goal came at the 24 minute mark.
Agudelo’s move to Stoke City of England’s Premier League may have come as a surprise to many, including myself. However, while waiting for another appeal to gain work permits in the United Kingdom, Juan Agudelo has been impressive in his first few European appearances in the Dutch top league. He provided the assist for Utrecht’s lone goal in a 1-1 draw against league leader Ajax. Then he provided plenty of solid play in Thursday’s loss to PEC Zwolle, where he provided the only tally for Utrecht.
The league has proven to be fruitful for American strikers as of late. Jozy Altidore scored 38 goals in the Eredivisie (the name of the Dutch top division) over two seasons at AZ. Aron Johannsson has 16 goals since moving to the same club in the middle of last season. Agudelo is no doubt trying to garner some of that success for himself as well. The 21-year-old will still be trying to impress USA head coach Jürgen Klinsmann leading up to this summer’s World Cup.
The Yanks Watch 