Part 4: Dev. backgrounds of the U.S. 23

by Travis Clark

June 12, 2014

Ed. note: This is the fourth in a five-part series on the youth and development tracks of the U.S. 23-man roster. The series will run through Friday and break down how each player got his start.

Aron Johannsson

GK Tim Howard, Everton
Date of birth: March 6, 1979 (35)
Pre-professional club history: New Jersey Imperials (USISL)
YNT history: U17 MNT (1995), U20 MNT (1999), U23 MNT (2000)
Big moment: U20 FIFA World Youth Championships (1999)
First professional cap: August 18, 1998 (New York/New Jersey MetroStars)

Notes: Perhaps no other U.S. men’s national team player has enjoyed as successful of a European career as Howard, who spent four years playing for Manchester United. He is closing in on the 300-appearance mark with Everton, and is the most experienced player for the USA in Brazil outside of DaMarcus Beasley, and will be a huge part of next week’s World Cup campaign.

MORE: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

F Aron Johannsson, AZ Alkmaar
Date of birth: November 10, 1990 (23)
Pre-professional club history: IMG Academy, Fjolnir, Breioablik
YNT history: Iceland U21 (2011-12)
Big moment: World Cup qualifier vs. Panama (October 15, 2013)
First professional cap: 2008 (Fjolnir)

Notes: Amazingly enough, a striker born in Mobile, Alabama to Icelandic parents is likely to be the first player to play at the World Cup after spending time in the Development Academy. Johannsson spent almost two years at the IMG Academy in Florida at the end of high school, before returning to jump-start his professional career back home in his native Iceland. He bounced from Iceland to Denmark to his current club, AZ Alkmaar, in Holland, and could be set to springboard into an even bigger league in the future.

D Fabian Johnson, Borussia Monchengladbach

Fabian Johnson

Date of birth: December 11, 1987 (26)
Pre-professional club history: 1860 Munich
YNT history: Germany U17 MNT (2003-04), Germany U18 MNT (2004-05), Germany U19 MNT (2005-06), Germany U20 MNT (2006-07), Germany U21 MNT (2007-09)
Big moment: Friendly vs. Slovenia (November 15, 2011)
First professional cap: 2006 (1860 Munich)

Notes: A fixture in the German youth national team setup from the U17-U21 ranks, Johnson made the switch to the United States in 2011 and has slowly but surely emerged as perhaps the best German-American option. The starting right back in Brazil, Johnson can offer both in attack and defense, as he’ll play in his first World Cup. Johnson won the 2009 U21 European Championships with Germany, meaning his matchup with his former international side could prove to be a unique one.

M Jermaine Jones, Besiktas
Date of birth: November 3, 1981 (32)
Pre-professional club history: Eintracht Frankfurt
YNT history: Germany U21 (2001-2003)
Big moment: Gold Cup vs. Jamaica (June 19, 2011)
First professional cap: 2005 (Eintracht Frankfurt)

Notes: During the run-up to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, a will-he or won’t-he saga featuring Jermaine Jones and his potential availability for the competition played out, as he recovered from an injury. However, he obviously didn’t recover in time, missing out on South Africa. Now, over the past few years, Jones has emerged as one of Jurgen Klinsmann’s favorites, picking up more than 40 caps and must show his best for the USMNT to have a chance.