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Jones sets out to clean up his game

Jones (Getty Images)

 

Jermaine Jones has earned the reputation of a hard-tackling destroyer in central midfield, play that has made him a bit of a card magnet for both club and country.

More than a decade into his professional career and at age 30, Jones is setting out to clean up his act.

According to reports from Germany, Jermaine Jones is making a bet with Schalke general manager Horst Heldt that he won't get more than five yellow cards this upcoming season. This after earning 14 in 20 league games last season even while serving an eight-week ban for being found guilty of deliberately stomping on the foot of an already-injured opponent.

Jones had also been carded in four of his first five appearances for the U.S. men's national team in 2012 before emerging from the first two World Cup qualifiers without any cautions. As a new season Bundesliga approaches in a month, it appears that Jones will be trying to turn over a new leaf.

Think there's any shot Jones wins this bet? Do you like that he is consciously trying to play smarter? Worried that he'll lose his essence as a player?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Yes he was but you can be yourself and do all that and not get as many yellows.

    Based on what I have seen of Jones he gets a lot of ticky tacky cards. If he would just lose the attitude,not bitch so much and be a little smarter about his little indiscretions he would cut down on his cards. He could still be just as physical, he just needs to lose that Barton red mist thing he sometimes does. And keep his mouth shut.

    If h

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  2. I want Jermaine to play tough for the USMNT, I thought the Neymar tackle was great (a deserved yellow of course), and I fully expect that he will be suspended for a USMNT game someday. But what he brings is worth it to me.

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  3. Remember the story about the scorpion and the frog? The scorpion promised the frog that if he came out to play that he wouldn’t get stung. It took some persuasion and promises but the frog finally came out to play. The scorpion stung the hell out of the frog. As the frog was dying he said to the scorpion. Why, oh why, did you sting me? The scorpion said…”because I’m a scorpion.”

    Don’t worry folks, we’ll get the regular Jermaine Jones back after he realizes he was born to sting…no matter what he promises.

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  4. Agreed, would love to see Dempsey end up at Schalke and think it would be the best move he could make, although Liverpool or Malaga would also be cool.

    I could even see Carlos Bocanegra at Schalke. News reports in Germany say that AC Milan is interested in Schalke’s 20-year-old Kyriakos Papadopoulos. If he goes, then Schalke is going to need to bring in at least one central defender and I, as USMNT fan, think a strong argument could be made for an experienced defender like Bocanegra on a 1- to 2-year contract before Boca heads back home to MLS.

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  5. You sure he didn’t mean red card?

    I think that was a slip of tongue. Jones promising to get less than five yellow cards all season is like Messi promising to score less than five goals all season.

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  6. Any chance of Dempsey going to Schalke, or is he just looking to stay in BPL? It would be good to have a few of the US guys on the same team to have a better understanding of each other when they come into national camp…plus with 2 or 3 guys on the same club I have a bigger reason to route for them over others in Germany. Dempsey always talks about wanting CL team…but that only leaves a few options in England….I have not heard much about him pushing for a new league like Germany.

    …and so its topical….Yes….good plan to get less yellow cards so at least on a 50/50 call he does not get penalized for being the “yellow card guy”…although some times one good yellow card here and there is welcome aka on Neymar when the other team is starting to get a little annoying.

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  7. His approach has made him a starter on a Champions League team and a National team. With all of the criticism we level on these boards, that is not a common resume for American soccer players. Go with what got you there.

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  8. You’d think it would take someone less than a decade to figure out that maybe getting cards every other game is not the best way to help your team.

    Having said that, I’d love to see him a little more refined in his tackling so long as he continues to make Neymars fly.

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  9. i think it’s good that he cleans up a little, but i don’t want him to lose that edge that he gives us. i think we’ve been a bit soft at times and you need a big force like Jones in midfield to lay down the fact that we are no pushover

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