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Jones suspended four games for recent ejection

By FRANCO PANIZO 

Jermaine Jones will open 2013 the same way he started this year: with a hefty suspension.

The German federation (DFB) has handed Jones a four-game ban for the challenge that saw him earn the first straight red card of his career in Schalke 04’s 3-1 loss to Stuttgart this past weekend. Jones committed a slide tackle from behind in the 73rd minute of the Bundesliga game and was immediately ejected, but DFB has ruled that the challenge deserves a bigger punishment than a one-match suspension.

The ban means Jones will miss out on the club’s upcoming league games against Freiburg on Dec. 15, Hannover on Jan. 18, Augsburg on Jan. 26 and Greuther Furth on Feb. 2. He would be eligible to return for the club’s match against Bayern Munich on Feb. 9, which comes three days after the U.S. Men’s National Team is slated to begin the Hexagonal round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying vs. Honduras.

Jones and Schalke have 24 hours to appeal the decision.

You can see Jones’ challenge here.

With Jones slated to be out of action until February, U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann could call the 31-year-old midfielder up for the Americans’ January camp to keep him sharp and in shape ahead of their qualifier in Honduras.

Jones was similarly given a lengthy ban at the start of this year, and Klinsmann opted to summon him to his January camp. Jones played in both friendlies, 1-0 wins against Venezuela and Panama, at the end of that camp.

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What do you make of this development? Expect Klinsmann to call up Jones for the upcoming January camp? Still worried Jones might not be fit enough to start against Honduras?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I would think they should be able to mount a successful appeal based on the following criteria:

    1. Address his reputation by pointing out that JJ is at a career-low rate for yellows
    2. Highlight a decision or two from this season showing tactical fouling instead of malice
    3. Remind the league that he’s never before had a straight red
    4. Show video of the foul and point out that it was not nearly as bad as it could have been.
    5. Show video of other reds from this season by other players that were worse and didn’t lead to additional suspensions

    Of course, the league might just be stubborn Germans and stick to their guns out of petulance.

    Reply
    • “stubborn Germans”,” petulance”?

      I’m sure if Jones was being judged in was America he would be so much better off because here in America our sporting bodies, such as the NFL and Roger Goodell, display only fairness and good judgment and are never stubborn and petulant when it comes to judging such cases.

      Reply
      • It’s pretty safe to say governing bodies in general don’t like to reverse their decisions and admit that they were wrong.

        Aside from being petulant yourself and criticizing me for using a pretty harmless stereotype, do you have a worthwhile response to my post?

        FWIW, I don’t think Goodell’s decision making is any more impartial or well advised… don’t know where you gathered that. It’s funny how people get so caught up in trying to be politically correct that they automatically assume any stereotyping no matter how innocuous is a condemnation of another group and an assertion that things are so much better in ‘Merca. Germans have a reputation for being stubborn… I have some in my family. ‘Mercans are fat. Get over it.

    • Everyone is completeily overlooking the fact that it’s his reputation that got him the 4 game ban….and people are trying to act like he doesn’t have a history.

      Reply
      • LOL. Do not think so. We got a very informed group here…a small number may not be aware of his reputation in the Bundesliga. It goes back to Frankfurt Eintracht days.

  2. Sending the message that may turn momentum is good for any team. I am all for a clean and physical message within the rules. It has a stronger effect. The art is not being suckered into drama at the wrong time. Jones is getting better with keeping it clean and the drama.

    Reply
    • I think in this latest episode his reputation in the Bundesliga got him in hotter water. The foul does not warrant the punishment in this case.

      Reply
  3. I’ve really grown to appreciate Jones. The guy works his butt off and leaves it all on the field every game I watch. He’s more than willing to do the dirty work tracking back. He is a physical presence in the middle of the park and is not intimidated in the least. On top of it, he is a smart player and can fill multiple roles. He is not a speed burner, or overtly flashy, but a team needs players like JJ. Whether or not you think he should start or is better or worse in a role than another player is a matter of opinion, but him being “a constant liability or threat to be ejected” is not. It simply isn’t true for the Nats or club. He’s played with us long enough for it to be said and at 31 years old and many years in the Bundesliga w/ his 1st straight red this week? Ain’t true at club either. That’s a fact.

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  4. I love Jones.

    I hope the appeal is successful. Hopefully he can at least get the suspension reduced.

    Let’s not forget. Without Jones crossing over to us, there might not have been a Timmy Chandler, or Fabian Johnson considering making the switch.

    Looking forward to our next USA game.

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  5. I would almost bet my house on Jones getting a redcard in one of the away hex games. I really don’t see why Klinsmann needs to risk that.

    Reply
    • If you are serious I will put my home up today. You don’t know what kind of player he is at all to make that statement. He is a professional. Nothing more, nothing less. Professional.

      Reply
      • And what is that supposed to mean? That a Central American referee will not send him off in a qualifier in Panama or Costa Rica?

      • if he took what was a yellow card, it could be given as a red with our CONCACAF officiating sadness. there’s certainly a risk that even if he doesn’t earn it he’ll see red just because we play in this region of jelly-spined officials. could be like that for any US player tho imo

    • If you don’t understand JK’s personnel choices put in a little work and go back and watch some of the teams he played on, especially those tough World Cup winning German teams. I’m sure those games are available somewhere online.

      I saw quite a bit of them in those days and while they were very talented and all that, the biggest thing about them was their team ethic and their complete and total unwillingness to accept losing. I’m not saying they were dirty but they would do anything, within the rules, to win. And if they went just a little bit overboard, they never apologized for that attitude. And they were very, very painful teams, physically and mentally, to play against. Ask Eric Wynalda. He knows.

      So for me, JK’s personnel decisions have always been pretty obvious. If you just read his many interviews he tells you straight up what he expects from his guys. It’s very clear.

      As for Jones, it’s clear you haven’t seen him play much and you are just going on his rep. He has 3 yellow cards in league play this season. Bradley has 3, Pirlo and Schweinsteiger have 4, Scholes has 5, Danny Williams has 6.

      Yellow cards are not always about losing control. In Europe they are often “tactical” decisions. Or they are “message” decisions. If you remember Jones taking out Neymar in the Brazil game, I don’t know if he got a card for that, but it was all about telling Marcelo, who was being a pain, “Keep it up and your Billion dollar Golden Boy pays the price”.
      Why not tackle Marcelo? Neymar is worth more and is an easier target that’s why. Break his leg and how much money goes down the drain? I was surprised the Brazilians did not make more of that tackle.

      Jones is the psychotic enforcer, in the most positive way, that the US needs in the world game.

      I’ve heard others say Bradley should be our enforcer but Mikey really just looks mad all the time. He’s not a psycho and he’s not a “tough” guy.

      He’s a nice kid from nice suburbs like Pennington, NJ and Palatine, IL, not a hardscrabble street kid from the bad part of Frankfurt like Jones but why not hear it from JK himself:

      “Klinsmann cited midfielder Jermaine Jones as an example of the finished product—a player whose hunger and work ethic can impact a given game and the bigger picture. Although criticized in some circles for his robust approach, Jones plays with an intensity that Klinsmann finds invaluable.
      “He’s a street kid from Frankfurt, but in the worst area. And he was just used to fighting his way through. No matter if he’s left out by a coach somewhere, he says, ‘I’m going to get back into that game.’ And he did it always,” Klinsmann said. “He is that guy that now, sends those signals out of always competing, never giving up, always waiting for the next shot. He gives that sense to players that do not know what it means to fight their way through. They think life is for free.”
      Klinsmann may have hungered for the beautiful goal, but his delight was evident as he discussed the way Jones, who’s built like an action figure, hunts the ball at all costs and intimidates the opposition. Klinsmann has a taste for the game’s grit, as well as a keen appreciation for the less glamorous details that often separate winners from losers. He’s a wolf who spent his career merely dressed as a prima-donna striker.
      “He gives you 100 percent determination, and it’s something that, especially in a big competition like a World Cup, can decide games,” Klinsmann said of Jones.
      Ultimately, that is what Klinsmann hopes to impart. At the highest level, where all the players are talented and all the players are fit, that extra bit of desperation means everything.
      “This is the kind of mental grind that we’re going to go through in a World Cup,” Klinsmann said. “From the knockout (rounds) on, it’s all mental. The physical foundation is all laid out. It’s all there. Now it’s about who wants it more. Who really it wants it more. … Maybe everybody else is tired of Brazil (the 2014 host) or South Africa (2010) at that moment and wants to go home, wants to see their family. Which is understandable. But if you really want it, no. No. These types of things will happen in the inner circle, in the locker room, in the massage room, when some players kind of run out of gas. You need other players telling them, ‘It’s just the beginning now.’ ”

      Reply
      • Excellent post, GW. And I will add that Schalke has not won in their last five games (three losses and two ties), and Jones against Stuttgart was trying to get his teammates fired up. Schalke is in a massive funk, partly because Huntelaar and Holtby apparently are hoping to jump ship in January for the Premier League and both are playing like stuff and are not putting out. (I do not understand why Huub Stevens has not simply kept them out of the squad.)

        As for Mikey Bradley, I would have agreed with you until two or three months ago. But I think he is finally learning at Roma how to play rough when necessary. Remember his tackle and yellow card against Russia? And it was funny, unlike when Jones gets a yellow card, no one breathes a word of criticism when MB gets one.

      • “And it was funny, unlike when Jones gets a yellow card, no one breathes a word of criticism when MB gets one.”

        Your anti Bradley prejudice default setting is showing.

        Bradley has long been castigated by people like you and others for being a hot head and a red card risk.

        He has raised his game to the point where the Russia incident can reasonably viewed as an aberration by everyone except you.

      • Well, if intentionally breaking an opponent’s leg because you can’t stop him within the rules is an acceptable path to a victory to you, if you applaud the thug mentality of “sending a message”, we really have nothing to talk about.

      • Mr. M,

        “Well, if intentionally breaking an opponent’s leg because you can’t stop him within the rules is an acceptable path to a victory to you, if you applaud the thug mentality of “sending a message”, we really have nothing to talk about.”

        Ah, so you are too good for the likes of us low lifes, eh?

        Like many people on this site you automatically jump to the most extreme conclusion.

        No one is advocating broken legs. One reason why De Jong’s leg breaking run drew so much attention was because broken legs are comparatively rare. Especially when you think about how many hard tackles happen every week during a season. If you think the likes of Carles Puyol are above going in hard enough to break your leg you are very,very naïve.

        As for “sending a message” Marcelo, that effete punk, was the one who started that foolishness in the Brazil game. In the past I have seen soft US teams succumb to that kind of intimidation. I don’t see Jones starting that stuff but he will put an end to it.

        “Thug” mentality? Being black and having tattoos doesn’t necessarily make you a thug.

        This kind of “mentality” is inherent in the world game and not just soccer. Intimidation, mental and physical, hard play, and extreme desire have always been a part of the game. After the Ghana loss Donovan gave an interview where he said the US lost, not so much because they were not as skilled or talented as their opponents but because they were missing that little edge, that tactical “whatever” that being a savvy, experienced campaigner, something not a lot of US players were/are, gives you.

        You choose to focus on the “broken legs” but it is a lot more than that. It’s about wanting the result more than the other guy and having more ways to get it than they do. Jones, who has been a regular for a club at the highest levels of the game for longer than just about anyone else in the US talent pool. He knows what Donovan is talking about.

        The US has always played the game straight forward and has, at times suffered for that. Other teams have often taken advantage of them. Clint Mathis was the first American I can remember having that “f++k them all, let them worry about me” attitude. Too bad he couldn’t stay on track, we needed more like him. The USMNT is a little short of experience,

        They will need Jones.

  6. How much Bundesliga do any of us actually watch? A quick look at this year’s stats shows that DANNY WILLIAMS has the second most yellow cards (6) in the league this year.

    Where is Jones? Tied with many other players at just (3) and now his FIRST EVER straight red.

    So relax, his experience and, as JK pointed out, presence have much more upside than his perceived downside of being card prone.

    Reply
    • Exactly. Every time I see a post from someone who claims that Jones is “undisciplined” or a “card machine” I know that they do not watch him play.

      Reply
      • Well, he had 14 yellow cards in 20 games with Schalke last season and 7 in 12 games for the US team in 2012. How is that not a “card machine”?

      • He is a defensive midfielder, if you’re not picking up the occasional yellow you’re probably not very good.
        He didn’t get a straight red or two yellows in any of those games.

  7. What most people do not realize is that many of his yellows are excellent tactical fouls to stop break aways or one v ones people need to relax hes a good player and knows what he is doing.

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  8. I’m curious to see how many of you actaully watch JJ on a weekley basis. I imagine most just glance at a box score and see he picked up a card for Schalke and automatical assume he’s a hack and lost his cool. I have watched Schalke nearly every week for 8 plus years. Most of JJ’s cards are tactical in nature and aren’t because he had a violent, bone crunching tackle or was screaming at a ref. The latest tackle was deemed violent in nature but it isn’t relfective on the other cards and sending offs he’s had. His temperment is no netter or no worse than many, many players even on his club. Get over yourselves if you think JJ’s just a ticking time bomb. I encourage you to actually watch him play for Schalke.

    Reply
  9. Jones has a reputation for violent play and he is just a red card waiting to happen for both club & country. At 31 you have to wonder if his undisciplined play is worth the trouble…how long has it been since he played a solid match for the US? We have major depth in the central midfield.

    Reply
    • His play is very discipline, as evidence of not only his first ever straight red, but also by the fact that he has very very few yellow reds. He very rarely gets sent off the field, like 5 times in his whole career.

      Reply
  10. Wow, suspended four games for that? That’s barely a red card. And it was his first straight red ever!
    It could be reputation, it could be racism…

    Reply
      • Sorry, but his record of countless yellows, without receiving a straight red, means he knows how far he can go. He understands the game, what is yellow, and what is a red. Most any player of any sport at a high school level or above, knows what is acceptable and what is not. The fact that this is his first, and some would say weak straight red, tells you he is not out of control.

        I am always amazed at how guys speak as authorities when they have no authority what so ever(or in this case, appear not to have)

  11. This is another example of how Jones is a real liability for the USMNT. I do not think his overall ability warrants taking on the risk he brings to the table. The last thing we need is a 68 minute red card against Mexico in the Hex.

    Reply
      • Sabella only mentions a “68 minute red card,” which can be easily achieved with JJ’s preference for yellow cards. So the key word isn’t CAREER, but STRAIGHT red card.

      • Not really sure where people get their facts from.
        “This is the 14th suspension handed to the 31-year-old Frankfurt native since he joined Schalke in 2007”
        He absolutely is a liability and beyond tough tackling he brings almost nothing to the table. He has no business on the world cup squad. He will also be 33 and even slower by then. Not happening. It’s a wasted slot for a younger player who could be getting experience.

      • I understand the worry of card accumulation or a double yellow with Concacaf refs, but the guy is a player. God forbid MB go down in Brazil, but if he does or we need a bite in the midfield having JJ as on option of the bench is a luxury I would love to have. Holden may be the same, Beckerman or Mix may gain speed, Torres may become consistant……but my money is on Jermaine.

    • Can you name me a time when JJ has completely lost his cool and it hurt the US? I can’t think of one. I’ve never gotten the sense his temperment was a liability for the US. His temperment for the US has been no different, no worse than Jozy, Howard, Dempsey, or hell even Donovan who’s constantly in the ref’s ear.

      Reply
      • he’s done very well not giving in to the constant baiting our CONCACF opponents have tried with him. has to continue to keep that part of himself under wraps because you have to think the baiting will continue

      • Didn’t he get a really stupid yellow for a handball against Jamaica leading to one of their free kick goals? Granted it wasn’t necessarily him losing his cool, but it was very stupid nonetheless.

  12. Complete and total B.S. I’ve softened my original stance that a red was warranted but to add 3 additional games on top of it is just plain ridiculous. Maybe reputation comes into play but this is a completely seperate incident than the Marco Reus foot stamp that earned him an 8 match ban. I would appeal and I hope he has a chance to have it overturned.

    Reply
  13. Does anyone have any more photos from this presser? I would kill to see what baseball team Jermaine Jones reps. “I like zee Royals de Kansas Stadt”

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  14. Yeah, I think he got suspended about this time last year. Maybe he just likes spending the holidays with his family. See, pro soccer players are really just like you and me.

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  15. Seems like BS to me. It didn’t look like a clear red to me, much less 4 games, but perhaps the Bundesliga is cracking down on tackles or Jones in particular. I didn’t realize it was his first straight red ever.

    Reply
  16. Doesn’t he gat suspended every year around this time? If I recall he was involved in some friendly(ies) last year for the US, because he was suspended from his club team.

    Reply
  17. Franco — can you post video of the challenge? I haven’t seen it yet but read that replays confirm little physical contact. Four games? Wow. Any longer and Jones could attend Camp Cupcake again…

    Reply

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