Top Stories

Report: Jones to miss up to six weeks with meniscus surgery

Jermaine Jones Schalke 3 (Getty Images)

By DAN KARELL

It’s looking likely that Jermaine Jones won’t be available for selection when U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann picks his next squad.

According to a report in German publication BILD, Schalke have scheduled for Jones to have surgery on his ailing meniscus, which would keep him off the field for up to six weeks.

“It’s true that the club has taken me out of the squad,” Jones told BILD. “I’m taking this opportunity to have surgery on my meniscus. Regardless of the club’s decision (to have surgery now), an operation would have been inevitable because of persistent pain.”

Jones came off in the 88th minute of Schalke’s 3-3 draw with Hoffenheim on Saturday. After evaluating the 31-year-old midfielder, the club decided to keep him out of their UEFA Champions League squad that will face FC Basel on Tuesday, and opted for the surgery.

This isn’t the first time this year that injury has forced Jones out of the USMNT squad. Last March, Jones suffered a sprained ankle in the infamous “Snow Game” against Costa Rica, which kept him out of the match at Mexico. Jones also was forced out of the U.S. side for their match against Panama last June, after suffering a head injury while playing at Jamaica four days earlier.

The most recent injury could now leave Klinsmann without his regular central midfield duo of Jones and Michael Bradley for the final two World Cup qualifiers against Jamaica and Panama in October. Bradley suffered a grade two ankle sprain, and is still sidelined with his club side AS Roma.

What do you think of this report? Do you see Jones returning in time for the November USMNT friendly matches? Who do you see Klinsmann starting in Jones’ place?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. He sucks. Reading these posts is hysterical. Where are all the Bundesnobs claiming he is so great, even though anyone with eyes can see he blows. Now he is claiming injury, and everyone is saying, oh yeah, see thats why he wasnt up to snuff. NOW, he’ll really be great when he comes back! God I hope Mix really grabs hold of this slot in the next two games and makes it impossible for Klinsi to keep playing his German butt buddy all the time despite his being horrible.

    Reply
  2. Jones tweeted this earlier…

    “@Jermainejunior: On my way to training soon!! Surgery ?? No… Schalke 04 is more important atm!! Reading BILD is always the funniest moment of my day!”

    Seems like he basically says (in 140 characters) that none of it is true…?

    Reply
    • We have to remember that the last time Adu performed well, Bradley was coach. He is currently a fixture on Bahia’s bench – in a league that should play to his strengths.

      Reply
  3. I’d like to see Cameron as a CM again. He looked phenomenal when paired with Bradley. Even if Bradley can’t go, it’s worth trying a few more times.

    Reply
    • Beckerman had a very good game against Mexico but I guess they are just weak CONCACAF opposition while Cameron had his breakout game in midfield against Panama who are oh wait they are CONCACAF as well…..

      Reply
  4. I think Cameron is the best sub in midfield. However, Klinsmann needs to call in another defensive midfielder. I will make my usual appeal to give Dax McCarty a chance.

    Reply
      • Bradley is almost certainly out, so Beckerman is a given. I think McCarty may be close to or even with Beckerman. As for Williams, who knows since they play in such different environments–MLS vs. the English Championship League. Williams had his chance and played his way out. The next two qualifiers aren’t that important, so despite what Klinsmann said, it’s time to bring in some other guys. I have already said he should rotate the forwards among Johannsson, Boyd and maybe Agudelo. Play Kljestan, too. Even without our regulars we should be able to beat Jamaica at home and give Panama a good game.

      • “ I think McCarty may be close to or even with Beckerman.”

        In MLS terms perhaps but Beckerman has a significant and serious advantage over Dax in terms of international experience under fire when it really matters.

        “As for Williams, who knows since they play in such different environments–MLS vs. the English Championship League. Williams had his chance and played his way out”

        That is not necessarily so. It appears now that he many of his issues were injury related.

      • Check McCarty’s bio. As a youth he played in and even starred in international youth tournaments. As I recall, he was selected MVP at a CONCACAF tournament. While it is not the same as WC qualifiers, he has played at an international level. That is where I first became aware of him; I saw him playing several times for US youth teams and he was always one of the best players on the field.

      • “As a youth he played in and even starred in international youth tournaments. As I recall, he was selected MVP at a CONCACAF tournament. ”

        Just about every player in the USMNT player pool has similar credentials. If you were a star in college or the minors or the youth internationals it doesn’t mean you will be a star at the senior international level.

        Senior internationals are a completely different level from the Under whatevers.

        Dax has been capped by the senior team. I saw those games and I thought he looked good. However,overall he is not better than Mikey, JJ, Mix, Sacha, Beckerman, Edu, Holden or Williams.

        I’d be happy if they brought him in but even with everything you mentioned, when it comes to international experience Captain Crofton is way, way ahead of him. If JK really rated Dax the Gold Cup would have been the time to bring him in.

  5. Whatever the truth might be, we (the USA) need Jones to be his usual, nasty, hard playing self come WC time.

    He is not the most consistent player on our roster, but when he is on he is one of the true world-class players we have. Need him in Brasil.

    Reply
  6. “It’s true that the club has taken me out of the squad,” Jones told BILD. “I’m taking this opportunity to have surgery on my meniscus. Regardless of the club’s decision (to have surgery now), an operation would have been inevitable because of persistent pain.”

    seems like the “club’s decision” is in reference to “taking me out of the squad”, not “to have surgery now”…

    … although not reading german makes it all a little difficult to decipher.

    Reply
  7. While it’s never good to see our players injured…This will give the coaching staff a reason to try out some other combinations. There’s not the panic of 09, as we’ve already qualified and have a number of players who can step in.
    Likely replacements for the Bradley & Jones include:
    Cameron, Beckerman, Williams at the #6 CDM
    Diskerude & Torres at the # 8 spot

    Reply
  8. The sad thing is, even if someone else excels at that DM spot, whether it be Beckerman or (preferably) Cameron, JK is still going to choose JJ to start.

    Reply
  9. It needs to be made clear that Jones was suspended for playing poorly yesterday after a string of bad games and there had been absolutely no reports about a need for surgery. Only after he was suspended did Jones announce that he is going to have the surgery. Strange that he would be the one to announce the surgery and not the team, and makes me think that there is plenty more to come from this story.

    As a Jermaine Jones fan, I have been saying for weeks that Jones has been in pi$$ poor form. I had wondered if there is any connection between his contract, which ends in June 2014, and his lackadaisical performances, such as a few weeks ago getting a stupid yellow-red card and then smiling when the ref flashes the red card. Jones said last summer he wanted to extend his contract two years and after those two years would move to MLS. But either Schalke was reluctant to keep him or maybe would have like to have him, but only if he took a pay cut from his current very rich 4-million-euro per year salary. Could be Jones is unhappy about no contract extension. This story linked below finally mentions his contract, and says that he was suspended once before by Schalke in 2010 for lack of effort on the field.

    http://www.welt.de/sport/fussball/bundesliga/fc-schalke-04/article120493451/Schalke-suspendiert-in-der-Krise-Jermaine-Jones.html

    Reply
    • Suspending a guy for poor play seems extreme, unless he’s become an issue off the field as well. He sid have the fallout with a different manager a couple of years ago, which resulted in the loan to Blackburn.

      Anyway…post-World Cup: Omar sold by LAG, Jones retires from intl. football and signs as DP with LAG.

      Reply
      • Yeah, Its not a matter of injury. I read the article. I think there are off field issues but pretty much its he is sucking.

        Jones says he is playing hurt and getting surgery now that he has the chance. Biff more or less has it right.

      • The club announced that the coaching staff is giving him time off for reflection (“Denkpause”). I wonder if German football clubs take mental health more seriously now since the Enke incident.

    • Here’s another possibility. Because of the persistent pain from his injury, his play has suffered. He is not performing up to par, realizes it, and has decided to have surgery now to insure that he will be 100% for the WC because he wouldn’t be if he waited until after the season or even a couple of months later into the season.

      Reply
  10. As a 29yo who injured my meniscus as a 14yo, It’s still an injury that flares up and gives me pain, swelling, and I’ve never had full range of motion ever since then. Granted Jones will have access to the best doctors in the world, I fear that at his age this will be potentially career ending considering the extremely high level he plays at. I think 6 weeks is incredibly optimistic, that’s likely the recovery period, and then tack on a month of rehab, then another month training, and another month of play before he’s back into his full fitness & form. The only saving grace is as people have stated here, the timing of this injury really couldn’t be better. I’m having nightmare relapses of our WC where the US was flying high after a strong Confed Cup showing, and then suffered do to injuries to Davies, Gooch, DeMereit, et al, which seemed to be difficult for the team to bounce back from. Hoping the best for Jones, and that we find another new young player who will step up and shine in his absence!

    Reply
  11. “It’s true that the club has taken me out of the squad,” Jones told BILD. “I’m taking this opportunity to have surgery on my meniscus.”
    It sounds like he got suspended by the club so he decided to have the surgery.

    Reply
  12. It’s good that this happen to Jones now and not during June. He’ll be out for a month in a half which gives him more than enough time to get back in the mix with the USMNT. I believe Michael Bradley won’t make it in time for the next two qualifiers in October so this would be my four CMs that I would call up against Jamaica and Panama.

    CMs: Mix Diskerud; Kyle Beckerman; Danny Williams; Sacha Klejstan

    Reply
    • I forgot all about Danny William’s reemergence with Reading, I’d love to see him get a call up. Also, might this be an opportunity to call up Paul Arriola?

      Reply
  13. If I’m JK, I’m thanking my lucky stars the USMNT took care of business and qualified already. Wishing JJ a speedy recovery; hopefully this is just a speed bump and not indicative of a bigger knee issue (like with Dolo).

    Fortunately, though, central midfield is one of our deepest positions. Would be fine with seeing Cameron, Beckerman, Mix, or Kljestan suit up there for the remaining two qualifiers.

    Reply
    • Cameron is starting at right back for Stoke City and performing quite well in one of the top three leagues in world playing each week against some of the best players in the world. Wouldn’t it make more sense to play him at right back for the USMNT and play players who play central midfield for their clubs at CM for the USMNT? Do not understand these calls for Cameron to play midfield. We saw Cameron at midfield, which he has not played at the club level for years, against Costa Rica in September and it was not a pretty sight.

      Reply
  14. Mixx & Sasha, Sasha & Dred, Dred & Mixx, Torres and Corona and Zusi and Cameron as bench options. There’s a drop off to be sure, but as long as MB and JJ are healthy in May it’ll be OK.

    Reply
    • Cameron is one of only about four players in the US player pool starting each week in the Premier League and he plays at right back and you want to park him on the bench beside Corona and Torres and Zusi and Sasha as maybe a possible option for the USMNT midfield? Brilliant. I guess you wanna see MLS midfielder Brad Evens or Timothy “I Refuse To Play For The USMNT Unless It Is In A World Cup” Chandler starting at right back while Premiere League starter Cameron possibly warms the bench or, better yet, stays at home.

      Reply

Leave a Comment