The road to recovery has been a long one for Jermaine Jones, but with the Bundesliga preseason gearing up, the midfielder is finally back on the field.
Jones featured for Schalke in its first two preseason games, playing 45 minutes in each match, including Schalke's 1-0 win over Polish club Jagiellonia Bialystok on Sunday.
The defensive midfielder last saw first team action in May 2009, suffering a number of setbacks over the last year while trying to recover from a leg fracture. Schalke opens the Bundesliga season on August 21 against Hamburg SV, but Jones could be in action sooner if he gets called up for the U.S. national team's friendly versus Brazil on August 10.
What do you think about the news? Want to see Jones get a call up?
Share your thoughts below.
the concept of someone being talented means that they have a naturally gifted skill for whatever it is they are applying it to…You can train to incorporate that particular talent in whatever team structured game that they happen to be playing. what It doesnt mean is that they are guaranteed to produce anything special with that talent…take into consideration Messi…most talented player on the planet. DIDNT DO A DAMN THING FOR HIS TEAM right?
Now what you are implying when you say “Potentially” it sounds as if you are referring to what I just mentioned with respect to those “Talented players” actually producing something with their talent. right? Right….
What I simply stated is that there are Many(emphasis on quantity) talented players to choose from. I was not referring to what they are capable of producing in a team environment…so, thus in hindsight, I would not use “potentially great” at all because our points are completely irrelevant.
People that read my comments I dont have a problem with. People that disagree with my comments and choose to get into a discussion with me…im kool with. However, people that dont understand what it is that im saying and then decide to let me know how I should express my opinions…well thats something that doesnt fly.
Write what you like but don’t expect anyone else to think it’s worth anything or to find it useful.
It’s like talent. You can have talent but making any use of that talent, which is what you want to do with a player’s talent,is something else. Hence the term “potentially great”.
The sports world ( and the literary world) is littered with very talented individuals who did not not amount to anything.
Write what you like but don’t expect anyone else to think it’s worth anything or to find it useful.
It’s like talent. You can have talent but making any use of that talent, which is what you want to do with a player’s talent,is something else. Hence the term “potentially great”.
The sports world ( and the literary world) is littered with very talented individuals who did not not amount to anything.
Of course those January games are speculative games to give caps and see the lay of the land..
And I very much expect Edu and Torres to be there in 2014.
But.. you caught on to what I’m saying with this. Jones (if he regains form) is already a known quantity and is really good. So good that we hope Edu gets that good. So bottom line. Bring him into the fold. Which ironically will probably occur in the January camp.
Howard had a bad tournament? Which one were you watching? He played bad against Ghana, but he saved our tails more than once in the WC.
I like Guzan, but until he starts getting more minutes with his club side I still have to lean towards Howard as the starting keeper. I’m hoping that Guzan will be up to above 50% in Starts by the end of 2011. Then we’ll have Options at the GK position.
When did I ever say Bradley was stupid? Sure, two holding mids in a 4-2-3-1 is the current preferred formation in Europe, but does that mean teams have to employ it to win?
Germany played with two holding mids, but Schweinsteiger’s good form freed Khedira to join the attack, eating alive Argentina.
Both Michael Bradley and Jose Torres seem to play better alongside a defensive minded midfielder, to playing them together didn’t really work.
Where in the crap is Rafa Marquez???
well, here is the reason why I would not write “potentially great” talent. It just so happens to sound completely idiotic to say that someone has potential talent. You are talented or your not. You have it or you dont…there is no grey area with talent. Talent is something you are born with. You can’t train to have talent. You can’t just decide, im going to work on my talent today…It’s like saying, well…gee, with a little bit of practice and time, Messi could really be talented.
Further more, taking into consideration that”I’M” writing this…I should probably write whatever the hell I feel like writing…dont you think?
Need to get Guzan in with the first team. We need to see about alternatives.
Howard had a bad tournament and a lousy game against Ghana. He’s an untouchable sacred cow and needs to be pressured.
what you are advocating would be similar to what is in place now to discourage foreigners from marrying Americans stricly to get a green card here.
Let me put it this way.
JJ, based on his playing record, would probably have been worthy of a place on the USMNT squad. That would make him, theoretically, one of the 736 best players in the world. When you think about how many people play this game, that is a very elite group.
If he was playing for the US, I don’t know what he would be thinking. But I’m pretty sure once that whistle blew a proven professional like him would revert to his instincts and do his dammdest to wipe the floor with the opposition ( he’s known to be an aggressive player). I doubt he can help himself. And as much as he has undergone to put on a US shirt I’m comfortable thinking he will give it his all. These guys have spent their entire lives dreaming of playing in a World Cup. If Jones gets to do that I don’t think you’ll have to worry about his allegiance.
Here’s a swing at yer recent questions:
1. Jones is known for being a firecracker on the field. This means cards, this means expletives, crunching tackles, incredible work rate, locker room blow-ups, and occasional golazos. Drama is likely: positive and possibly negative.
2. I’m not very excited about Brazilians naturalizing to Qatar for sums of money. From my perspective a family tie makes it a non-issue. Have a parent from the country.. you become a citizen no problem. Grandparent.. you become a citizen, no problem. No family tie? I’d like to see a high number of years of residency + citizenship required for a senior team cap eg. 8 years. This allows the child immigrant, but not the professional player (for the most part).
Basically, I think the rules should discourage transfer fees masquerading as citizenship.
Isn’t it ironic that the US went further than powerhouse Serbia ( for whom Subotic didn’t play that much) and Rossi never even made the Italian squad? weird.
You forget that if BB is gone then the new coach won’t cap M. Bradley anymore since he’s not related to him.
There will be plenty of room for Jones, Edu Torres and Holden.
Shakira is Columbian and ineligble to play for the USMNT (unless she has gotten a US passport; Columbia have not capped her right?).
To be accurate you should write “potentially great”. Four years is a long time and, with the exception of Jones, most of the new talent I’ve seen has not proven anything yet.
He didn’t get here on a boat.
Looking/Projecting to 2011 Gold Cup would like to see something along the following:
—————-Howard—————–
Spector—-Gooch—–Omar G.——-Boca
————Edu——-Jones————
Donovan———Bradley———Dempsey
—————–Jozy——————
Or:
—————-Howard—————–
Spector—-Gooch—–Omar G.——-Boca
—————-Jones——————
Donovan———Bradley———Dempsey
——-Davies———–Jozy———–
Defensive Subs: Dolo/Alston, Bornstein/Castillo, Goodson/DeMerit
Midfield Subs: Edu, Torres, Holden, Bedoya, Mix Diskerud/Benny F.
Striker Subs: Marcus Tracy, Yura Movsisyan
Back-Up Keeper: Guzan
Keeps the Best of the Core team while giving some of the best prospects some experiance in the international game. We need to win the 2011 Gold Cup to gain entry into the 2013 Confed. Cup so we need to use the best possible team we can put on the field, while grooming the replacements for those on the current squad who will retire (Boca, Dolo, DeMerit), or who May retire from International play (Gooch, Goodson, Clark, Beasley). Also have to prepair for potential injuries to the older players (Dempsey, Donovan, Gooch, Jones, Goodson) as it takes longer to recover from injury once you get into the 30+ range.
2012 should be the year to try an bring in some of the younger/more fringe players like: Ream, D. Williams, Opara, Shea, Garza, Pontius, Zizzo, Gavin, Lichaj, or others of a like.
“that’s Herenveen not the Bundesliga” while the Bundesliga is tougher, the Erideviese is harldy the minor leagues with many of their players stepping right into the EPL and the Bundesliga without missing a beat. Bradley scored 16 goals in one season there. That’s got to be a record for an American in any European league. Jones is a more accomplished player than Bradley but that is no reason to run down what Bradley did.
Jones’ injury was the worst one for the USMNT. If he’s there and playing like he can, he props up the back 4 by shielding our CB’s (so you don’t miss Gooch as much)stabilizes the midfield, freeing Bradley, Donovan and Dempsey from doing as much defensive work, thereby freeing them to attack more and helping our forwards(thus reducing the need for Davies).
He would have given the US the midfield “Boss” it has needed for a long time. and yes I would have loved to have seen him take on MVB, the psycho, and De Jong. Edu is not at that level yet and may never be. He’s still too good a human being and too nice a guy. The USMNT needs a few more borderline sociopaths with real talent.
That’s why Bradley held out hope for him for so long.
That’s a lot of “hoping”.
2014 is a very long time away. Edu and Torres might not even make the next World Cup.
Think I’m wrong? Here is the Jan 20, 2007 lineup, the first game after the 2006 world Cup and Bradley’s first in charge (a 3-1 win).
USA: 24-Matt Reis; 5- Chris Albright (6-Bryan Namoff, 63), 12-Jimmy Conrad (capt.), 23-Bobby Boswell (4-Dan Califf, 89), 3-Jonathan Bornstein; 25-Pablo Mastroeni (14-Kyle Beckerman, 86), 13-Ricardo Clark, 10-Landon Donovan, 17-Chris Rolfe (19-Heath Pearce, 74); 9-Eddie Johnson (20-Kenny Cooper, 63), 11-Nate Jaqua (21-Justin Mapp, 46)
Subs not used: 1-Joe Cannon
Head Coach: Bob Bradley