HARRISON, N.J.—If you included Fabian Johnson in your projected Starting XI for tomorrow’s U.S.-Costa Rica match at Red Bull Arena (6:30pm ET, ESPN), you might want to click here and make an adjustment. Johnson will not be in the mix.

The Borussia Monchengladbach German-American isn’t injured—he was booted out of U.S. camp by a fuming Jurgen Klinsmann who all but accused Johnson of sandbagging.

The whole kerfuffle started around the 111th minute of Saturday’s CONCACAF Cup final against Mexico, when Johnson asked to come out of the game with the score tied 2-2. Klinsmann had already made two changes, and by bringing on Brad Evans for Johnson, the coach could not make any additional moves.

After the 3-2 loss, Klinsmann told reporters that he had intended to use his final switch to bring on shot-blocking specialist Nick Rimando to replace starting goalkeeper Brad Guzan for the decisive round of penalty kicks.

Never mind that Paul Aguilar’s incandescent strike in the 118th minute rendered the issue moot; the game never made it past extra time. Still, Klinsmann was livid and strongly suggested that one of his star players quit on the team.

“I had a very severe word with Fabian Johnson, and I sent him home today,” Klinsmann said Monday at Red Bull Arena. “He's going home after we had a talk and he can rethink a bit his approach toward his team.

“He said he couldn’t go anymore and I reacted to it and obviously made the substitution,” Klinsmann said. “He just feared to possibly get an injury, but he was not injured in that moment. He got all stiffened up. It’s a muscle issue. It’s normal.”

Johnson, 27, recently missed five weeks of action with a hamstring injury but U.S. soccer officials said that the two events were not related.

Meanwhile, the media-savvy Klinsmann has shifted the conversation away from whether or not he should be fired by placing at least some of the blame at the feet of a player. It is not the first time that the coach has deflected criticism away from himself and toward others.

"I think there is a little bit too much respect when it comes to the big stage—why not play them eye-to-eye?" the coach asked after his team fell to Belgium in the 2014 World Cup. "I don't know how many years that takes to change but it's something we have to go through. The players have got to realize they have to take it to the opponent."

Klinsmann's insinuation? His players lacked conviction.

He has also criticized his team for not being in sufficiently good shape and hinted that the referees at the 2015 Gold Cup weren't up to the task.

As for Johnson, he earned his first camp in November 2011 shortly after using his one-tie switch to play for the United States after he played for Germany’s youth national team and won the U-21 European Championship in 2009.

Since then Johnson has made 40 appearances with the United States and was a standout at right back for the U.S. at the 2014 World Cup.

It is unclear if or when Johnson will rejoin the U.S. team in the future but his loss would be significant. He is perhaps the team’s most versatile player. Naturally a midfielder, Johnson can also play right back and left back—historically the U.S. team’s weakest position.

He is also coming off a terrific season for Borussia Monchengladbach in 2014-15 where he was a standout performer in the second half of the season and helped the club to a third-place finish in the Bundesliga. As a result, he is currently the only American player on a UEFA Champions League team.

After a public falling out with one of the team’s best players, how does Klinsmann respond? Will this affect the team? And most pressing: Is this only the first domino to fall after the loss to Mexico and the debacle at this summer’s Gold Cup? 

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