There was interesting news in the Soccer world this past week as United States full-back, Fabian Johnson, has agreed to join German club Borussia Moenchengladbach this summer on a free transfer.  Johnson is 26 years old and currently resides in the south-west of Germany under contract for his current club, Hoffenheim.

Here’s a look at what this guy can do: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZapo_sAnFw

And here’s a good example of the kind of quality Gladbach has: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZhx-iOe3qU

This move is interesting for a number of reasons – predominantly because it involves a US soccer player taking a forward step in his European footballing career.  Gladbach currently sit 4 places and 9 points atop Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga table and boast such stars in their lineup as Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, a Goalkeeper attracting the attention of one of the Colossuses of world football in Barcelona, and notable forwards Max Kruse and Raffael Araujo, meaning that this switch is something of a compliment and a blessing for Johnson.  Many American players playing in Europe do not get the opportunity to prove themselves at consistently higher levels in more prestigious clubs, so whenever they do, it’s a pretty big deal.  American stars like Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley have been some of the few to take positive steps in their European Careers – Dempsey moving from mid-table premier league side Fulham to top-5 side Tottenham, and Michael Bradley making his way out of British club Aston Villa to take on challenges in Italy for Chievo Verona and then Roma.

What makes this move for Johnson perhaps even more important, however, is the fact that players such as Dempsey and Bradley have very recently made their moves back to the United States, taking big-money contracts with much less competitive MLS sides such as Seattle Sounders and Toronto FC which pale in comparison to the European giants from whence they came.  Most people in the soccer world would view this kind of move as a step back, which, at this stage in the MLS’s development as a competitive league, it really is.  So when word of Fabian Johnson taking a forward step in his career comes forward, American soccer fans can breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that there is at least one guy out there that still wants to challenge himself at the highest level in one of the most competitive leagues in the world.

This is especially important in light of the upcoming World Cup.  With the imminent arrival of the most prestigious world competition of any sport, let alone soccer, the performance of American players in their respective leagues is hugely important, and this performance relative to the quality of their league is all the more significant.  The more American players competing at the highest level of the game the better, especially given that the USA’s first round World Cup draw has been labeled the “group of death” with the inclusion of the German and Portuguese national teams.  These countries boast some of the best players in the world with the likes of Mesut Ozil (Germany) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) leading their front lines, so having any type of experienced defender will be crucial.  This is exactly why, ultimately, Fabian Johnson’s imminent forward step in the German Bundesliga is an extremely positive thing, as it is both indicative of his progress in the game and a quantitative measurement of his ability to succeed at the highest level.  USA international manager Jurgen Klinsman, a German himself, will surely be pleased.