Fabian Johnson Eyeing Champions League

Let’s face it. It's rare when an American player is part of a team that qualifies for the Champions League group stages. It is even rarer when an American player is part of team that qualifies for the Champions League group stages from one of the top leagues in Europe. Fabian Johnson, however, looks more and more likely he will be part of the prestigious tournament next year.

On Saturday, Johnson played a full 90 in the midfield for Monchengladbach in a 4-1 road rout of his former club Hoffenheim. The win solidified Monchengladbach’s grip on third place in the Bundesliga, and while Johnson wasn’t spectacular he did flow well with the offense and completed 88% of his passes.

After a challenging start to the 2014-15 campaign Johnson is on the upswing. He's playing, his team is winning, and everything we expected earlier in the season is happening now.

Monchengladbach is 8-4-0 in all competitions when Johnson starts, and this impressive statistic includes away wins against Bayern Munich and Sevilla. With numbers like these, Johnson is well positioned to be a bigger part of Monchengladbach’s plans next season.

Cameron claws back into Starting XI

There was a time this season when Geoff Cameron was struggling to get on the field but the 28-year-old has responded well and has returned to Stoke City’s starting lineup.

On Saturday, he played very well defensively at right back against Chelsea despite being on the wrong end of a 2-1 score line. Chelsea outclassed Stoke City at every position but the Potters fought hard and competed until the very end. Cameron managed a few dangerous crosses, and given his strong showing it was hard to believe that Klinsmann did not call on the Massachusetts native for the friendlies in March.

Bedoya finds the back of the net

For a good long while this season Alejandro Bedoya appeared to be the best American player in Europe. With the rise of Johnson and John Brooks, he now has some competition. But Bedoya is still doing very well for Nantes.

On Saturday, Nantes lost 2-1 to Caen but Bedoya scored from close range in the 11^th minute to give Nantes a 1-0 lead.

Bedoya played his normal central attacking role where he has enjoyed considerable success this season. Despite the loss, Nantes sits safely in mid-table in Ligue 1 in 10^th place. At this point the club is playing out the string, as there is little chance of making a push for European competition and no real worries about a relegation battle.

Timothy Chandler remains a mystery

For the U.S. national team, Timothy Chandler is prone defensive gaffes and turnovers. For Eintracht Frankfurt, he is an above average Bundesliga right back.

On Saturday, Chandler put forward another strong defensive showing in Eintracht;s 2-2 draw against Hannover. Chandler wasn’t just good, he was very good. He made several dangerous passes out of the back but his best work came on the defensive end of the pitch. His seven tackles and six interceptions were the most out of any player for either team.

Will this Chandler ever show up for the United States national team?

Brooks and Hertha safely in midtable

Six short weeks ago Hertha Berlin lost a difficult game to Wolfsburg and fell into the relegation zone in the Bundeslgia. Over the next five games, however, the club has refused to lose. Sunday’s convincing 2-0 win over Paderborn moved the club into 11^th place.

Brooks has proved to be the anchor of a backline that is playing lights-out soccer. With the shutout over Paderborn, the club has produced four clean sheets in its last five games. The only two goals it conceded during this time came in a 2-2 draw against Schalke.

The central defender put on an uneven display for the U.S. national team against Denmark and Switzerland last month but he is a long-term project with a huge upside for Jurgen Klinsmann. If passing out of the back is indeed a priority, that is Brooks’ strength. Against Paderborn his 72 pass attempts were the most by any player in the game and his completion percentage was a solid 85%.

Morales and Ingolstadt get big win

Ingolstadt was not expected to contend for promotion this year, and as a result the club had the benefit of playing without weighty expectations.

The club defied those expectations for most of the season and established a large lead in the German second division. Over the past month, however, the rest of the league woke up and Ingolstadt’s lead began to shrink.

On Sunday, the tiny Bavarian club came up with an enormous 2-0 win over FSV Frankfurt to keep its three-point lead atop the table. After two decent outings with the U.S. national team over the international break, Alfredo Morales went 59 minutes in the win.

Ingolstadt has seven games left in the season and only three are at home. It looks to be a tough homestretch, but if Morales and Co. hang on and move up to the top flight it will be a remarkable achievement for a club that was founded in 2004 and started in Germany’s fifth tier.

Eastern European success continues

In the smaller leagues of Eastern Europe, a pair of Americans are continuing their push to be part of European competitions next season.

Former Chivas USA and U.S. U-20 forward Cesar Romero is the leading scorer in the Armenian Premier League where he has 22 goals in 21 appearance for Pyunik in all competitions.

On Saturday Pyunik defeated last-place Ararat, 4-0, to extend its lead at the top of the table to seven points. Romero didn’t score but he was dangerous throughout and if he stays with Pyunik next season, the Chula Vista, Calif., native should see action in Champions League qualifiers next year.

Also of note, Mosies Orozco, Victor Garza, and Bryan De la Fuente were all part of the U.S. U-20 team during the 2011 cycle and played for Ararat in the loss.

In the Czech Liga, former Michigan Buck winger Nermin Crnkic scored his third goal of the season for Jablonec, which defeated Ceske Budejovice 3-0 to solidify its grip on third place. The club remains within striking distance of second place Sparta Prague which it trails by just four points with nine games remaining.

At the very least Jablonec should play in Europa League qualifiers next season as it has a 15-point cushion over fifth-place Teplice.

Tippeligaen crowded with Americans

Monday marked the opening of the Norwegian Tippeligaen season, and there is an abundant supply of Yanks playing in the league this season.

A few are battling injuries: A.J. Soares, now with Viking, will miss the first few weeks of the campaign while Josh Gatt and Ethan Horvath are on the mend with defending champions.

On Monday, Bodo/Glimt fell to Sandefjord 3-1 and Zarek Valentin played 90 minutes for Bodo in the loss. For Valentin, it was a welcome return to the field after missing almost all of last season with a torn Achilles. Danny Cruz is on loan at Bodo but did not see the field due to a strained hamstring.

Bob Bradley’s Stabaek played to a 1-1 draw in its season-opening match against Haugesund. Former Real Salt Lake midfielder Cole Grossman played a full 90 for Stabaek in his European debut.

Also, Alex De John made his debut for IK Start where he played 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw at Lillestrom.

Brian Sciaretta is an American Soccer Now columnist and an ASN 100 panelist. Follow him on Twitter.