Johnson scores in Champions League, creates U.S. dilemma for Klinsmann

Fabian Johnson won't go away quietly.

[FC Yahoo: Rooney ends goal drought but Man United attack still looking dry]

The Borussia Moenchengladbach and United States men's national team player became just the sixth American to score in the UEFA Champions League group stage on Tuesday.

[Champions League: Look back on Matchday 4 | Scores and Schedule | Group Standings]

His sliding finish capped Gladbach's 18th-minute attack, which got a good deal of help from a poor Juventus clearance, for the Bundesliga side's only goal in a 1-1 tie.

And that makes for a slightly uncomfortable predicament for U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

For as long as he's been in charge of the Yanks, the former Germany striker has insisted that his players seek out the highest possible playing level over in Europe. Yet only one of his players – Johnson – is active in the Champions League, which Klinsmann (rightly) considers the pinnacle of club soccer.

But Johnson got himself kicked off the U.S. national team after he requested a substitution during extra time of an October game against Mexico, even though he wasn't injured. Klinsmann was dismayed that Johnson would ask out of a game – with a spot at the 2017 Confederations Cup at stake, no less – even though his peers were suffering just as much as he was and just as likely to get hurt.

[Slideshow: Champions League Matchday 4 in pictures]

This isn't the first time that Klinsmann has shown one of his key players whose national team it really is. But with the start of World Cup qualifying around the corner, the Johnson ouster poses serious questions for a USMNT already in disarray.

Klinsmann's side has lost five of its last six games – albeit two of them in extra time or penalties – and has often looked woefully disorganized and disinterested. It badly needs Johnson, who can play on both flanks or in either back position, because the alternatives are thin, especially with several defenders recently suffering injuries or losing their starting jobs with their clubs and the pool of wingers being perpetually shallow.

On the one hand, Klinsmann can't afford to ostracize Johnson. On the other, he would look weak if he brings him back so soon, only making him sit out a meaningless friendly against Costa Rica. Tuesday's goal, while not terribly relevant at the international level, seems to exacerbate the pressure on Klinsmann to recall Johnson. Because making a point about discipline doesn't seem to be a luxury he can afford right now.

On Nov. 13 and 17, the Americans begin the third phase of World Cup qualifying against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago, respectively (those are only two countries, by the way). The former should be straightforward; the latter trickier. If Klinsmann doesn't claim six points from those games, or at the very least wins the first game and gains a very credible draw in the second, yet more questions will be asked about his hold on the head coaching job.

And if Johnson, who at 27 ought to be a building block for this new World Cup cycle, isn't there for it when things go wrong, the optics will reflect poorly on Klinsmann.

Whether fairly or not.

Leander Schaerlaeckens is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @LeanderAlphabet.