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SBI USMNT Man of the Match: Jermaine Jones

Photo by Mike DiNovo/USA TODAY Sports
Photo by Mike DiNovo/USA TODAY Sports

Jermaine Jones was all but neutralized against Colombia, but Costa Rica would be nowhere near as lucky on Tuesday night.

Jones proved an absolute terror for both the Costa Rican attack and defense, helping push the USMNT towards a 4-0 win over Los Ticos. Jones’ goalscoring efforts, playmaking and defensive workrates were enough to earn the veteran midfielder honors as SBI USMNT Man of the Match.

Highlighting Jones’ performance was a 37th minute goal, a finish from outside the box that pushed the USMNT lead to 2-0. It was just the tip of the iceberg, as Jones was everywhere on both the attacking and defensive ends. The Colorado Rapids forward sprung the attack with a number of crucial passes on the day, while barreling through the Costa Rican attack to help the U.S. maintain a clean sheet.

Jones put together quite a game on Tuesday night with one of his best efforts since the World Cup. The total performance was enough to earn Jones Man of the Match honors over Clint Dempsey, Bobby Wood and John Brooks.

What did you think of Jones’ performance? Which player stood out to you on Tuesday night?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. It annoyed me that they kept praising Dempsey for “laying off” the ball to Jones for the goal when all he did was ruin a golden chance with a bad touch. Lucky Jones happened to follow the play.

    Jones has flaws, he takes himself out of plays sometimes, but he’s got quality you can’t replicate except by having a career’s worth of experience in a top league.

    Reply
    • Dempsey is quickly becoming the guy who kills counters with too much slow dribble and not moving the ball quickly

      Reply
      • You’re right, of all our players Clint Dempsey is the one who doesn’t have an idea of what to do with the ball at his feet. He wasn’t the best player on the pitch and didn’t make the right choice on multiple occasions but give me a break.

        Also funny that he played in Wood and Zardes all first half long for missed chances and all people want to talk about is a loose ball falling to Jones. I’m not trying to knock any of those other guys but if the soccer gods that post on SBI can’t appreciate the shift that Dempsey put in yesterday then then I don’t know what to say. Maybe the people who wanted him benched are upset because he quite clearly proved them wrong yesterday? You would think we lost 0-4 based on some of the clowns posting here….

      • @bryan

        damn that’s a lot of projection. i think dempsey’s still one of the best players on our team, but i agree that his current skills and style don’t lend themselves well to playing on the counter, which is all that twomilerule said.

  2. I would have voted for Brooks. He kept everything together in the opening minutes when an early goal would have shattered us. JJ was top-notch today, as was Dempsey. Loved seeing Wood score a true center-forward goal. I think that would have beaten Navas.

    Reply
  3. Jones was great, but Brooks is really impressing me. Yeah, we all know how shake (terrible?) he was at GC 2015, but he’s really matured. Exciting to see him and Cameron develop their understanding.

    And who knew 6 months ago that our backline would be our strong suit. Yeah, Yedlin had a bonehead giveaway, but he too has really improved over the past year.

    Reply
    • JAB got stuck playing next to unproven Alvarado for most of the GC which didn’t help. Alvarado in the GC remains JK’s biggest failure outside of dropping LD to prove some weird point.

      Can only imagine how that GC would have gone with a healthy Cameron available…

      Reply
  4. Jones had a good game, but better than the guy with a goal and two assists? Better than the guy who would’ve had three more assists if his supporting cast could finish?

    Reply
    • his goal was a pk–yes, still a goal, but I’d argue half the credit should go to bobby (or the ref)–and one of the “assists” was an accident. valid point about his other created chances that should’ve been converted, but jones had an excellent game on both sides of the ball.

      Reply
  5. Jones deserves the nod but all the butt hurt from people even when Clint plays well is comical. Keep up the good work SBI nerds.

    Reply
    • Brooks is so rangy with those long legs toe poking balls from all angles. Hope that yellow does not hurt him moving forward?

      Reply
  6. I’m glad Jermaine Jones got it. He deserved it. Like I said if Dempsey does anything in a game the media praises him like his Messi.

    Reply
  7. Brooks played another good game, he just needs to get the ball of his feet a little faster when he’s under pressure.

    Reply
  8. Hah. I don’t know what game yall was watching butt Kyle’s clearance was play of Tha match. Never givin credit were it do.

    Reply
    • If the camera work was better we would have seen a few slick skill displays by jones.

      Jones HATES losing. You can see it in his game. He will scrap for an inch.

      When he plays in big games, he shows that he is a level above.

      Dempsey looked great as well. Brooks is well on his way to being the best center back in USMNT history.

      Reply
      • Jones had a backheal pass to Dempsey and made a wide open 20-30 yard run up field, and when Dempsey took too many touches, flopped and lost the ball, Jones worked all the way back to block a cross for a corner. Then pounded the ground in frustration because he knew the run he made off a great pass would have put him in on goal. That play sums up his game, hardworking and attack minded, but knows when the defense needs him to work back.

        I think Dempsey played much better, especially with his pressure on their backline and midfield, but he did take one too many touches several times, and also did some unnecessary “trick” passes. The one that stands out is when he decided to be cheeky with a pass to an overlapping Fabian Johnson which was off the mark and made Fabian go into an unnecessary 50/50 challenge which resulted in a yellow card for Johnson that could come back to bite.

      • Since 2014 I felt that Jones is the best player on the team as long as he keeps his head. The only issue for him is his age and injuries. I was also pleased to see Bobby Wood stamp his authority. I should add that all the people who wanted to cut off Klinsmann’s head can now relax. Last night showed that this selection is very capable.

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