PARIS — The United States may have dropped a 1-0 friendly decision to France on Friday night, but the match was a boost for one of the visitors: debutant Fabian Johnson.
The 23-year-old right-sider, who won the UEFA Under-21 Championship during his time as a German youth international, says the American half of his family was very excited to have him representing the Stars and Stripes for the first time.
His move over from the Mannschaft set-up happened rather quickly, unlike that of Hoffenheim teammate Daniel Williams, who'd considered the switch for some time. A few weeks after completing a summer transfer from Wolfsburg, Johnson received a call from Jurgen Klinsmann.
"He called me to ask if I could imagine to play for the United States and I said yes," the newest US player told MLSsoccer.com on Friday following his first cap. "It's a great opportunity for me."
Johnson entered the game in the 71st minute, just before Loïc Rémy bagged the game's only goal for France.
"It was a hard game," he admitted. "Everybody knows France is a good team. I think the first half was pretty good for us, but then they had the quality to score."
The newcomer may have been a bit down over the result and is still finding his US way, but said the night remained positive overall for him.
"The team is new for me, the system is new for me," declared Johnson. "But I'm just glad I made it."
