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Jermaine Jones claims 2014 blind draw was rigged by MLS

At the time, Jermaine Jones’ move to the New England Revolution was filled with controversy, and that controversy has resurfaced due to an allegation from the player involved.

Jones took to Twitter to accuse Don Garber and MLS of rigging the blind draw that determined whether the U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder would join the Revs or the Chicago Fire. According to Jones, Garber told him before the call that the Revs would win the blind draw, an account that was dismissed by Revs president Brian Bilello.

The draw was done when Jones signed with the league in 2014 following a stay with Turkish powerhouse Besiktas. A blind draw was used to determine which club would be able to sign Jones on a Designated Player contract.

https://twitter.com/Jermainejunior/status/960711595851628544

https://twitter.com/Jermainejunior/status/960726695727710209

The midfielder’s tenure with the Revs was a successful one, at least initially, as the signing vaulted the team all the way to the 2014 MLS Cup finale, where Jones and co. lost to the Galaxy.

Jones also took to social media to fire criticism at U.S. Soccer, saying the upcoming presidential election needed to shakeup the federation if the program is to take a step forward.

In particular, Jones criticized what he sees as a “family business” atmosphere, targeting candidate Kathy Carter as an extension of that idea in the upcoming election.

https://twitter.com/Jermainejunior/status/960650711712198656

Jones feature for the LA Galaxy last season after previously playing for the Revs and Colorado Rapids in MLS. He is currently without a club.

Comments

  1. There is almost no way that we will know who is telling the truth.
    So we divided into JJ is a bitter loser or the more hated Don Garber has to be guilty.

    My take. Why would MLS take sides against Chicago and for New England?
    Not saying they didn’t but there has to be a reason…and usually that is because of money.

    One scenario which is plausible to me. Jermaine said I will come to MLS.
    MLS says great. JJ says, not Chicago. MLS ( seeing $$$ signs ) that can be arranged.

    Let me be crystal clear if that happened, I don’t like it, but I wonder how the other 15-20 owners outside of Chicago felt. They were just getting Americans to come home at that point,.

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  2. Mary Stock -“MNT’s Bundesliga Boys” I’ve been saying it to voters in the election over the past few months. We need change in the USSF. We need to pick the best coach for a young USMNT.

    We can’t continue with what Jermaine Jones calls “the family business.” Because that benefits only MLS and SUM, whose head is Kathy Carter.

    Sunil Gulati and Don Garber, outgoing President of USSF and MLS Commissioner, respectively, must have persuaded Kathy Carter to run in order to keep their influence on the USSF and USSoccer.

    We need someone who is strong and willing to CHANGE THINGS.
    I strongly urge you in USSF to agree on a strong person with a lot of professional playing experience who will be capable of making CHANGES.

    I suggest you all agree on one candidate who you want for president. take your vote then. On voting day, throw everyone’s votes—the Adults, the Youth, and the Athletes’ councils—in for one candidate.

    It’s the only way you will manage to wrest the USSF from the powers that be and make change possible. You will all benefit this way.

    The other way, with a split vote, you will all fail. And we on the outside—the press, the fans—will lose, too. Just watch USMNT go down in popularity.

    Remember Benjamin Franklin’s advice: “ If we don’t hang together now, we will all hang separately.”
    That is just what will happen to the councils who will continue to be forgotten.

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  3. Jermaine Jones- I hope you find a team somewhere- definitely won’t be MLS 😉
    I loved the way you played and you were probably the best player in the US pool for a 4-5 year stretch. I know you are past your prime, but I still believe if you were chosen to be a part of the group in T&T, we would be heading to the world cup. It’s too bad we had Bruce Arena with his anti-GermanAmerican bias.

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    • Did you watch him play for the Galaxy last year? Or any of his NINE games for the Rapids the year before that? The idea that Jermaine Jones would have helped the national team at any point over the last 18-24 months is the most asinine considerations ever. The worst part of the our failure to qualify for the World Cup has been having to listen to all of these idiots who come up with theories about what is wrong with everything and how to fix it.

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      • JIM, If I’m the idiot then why is the President of SUM, Kathy Carter, running for USSF president and being politically backed by Don Garber(MLS Commish) and Sunil Gulati(Current USSF president and formly employed by MLS/Kraft).

        Far as JJ goes, he was injured much of last year so its a mute point anyway but I’d take his effort and play over MB if he wasn’t injured all day and Sunday. JJ might have been over the hill but he has the most Champions League minutes of any active US player. He was more than capably of holding down center MF against a TnT B team. Obviously MB was not. Oh by the way in the last “18-24 months” he also started in MF for a Copa semifinalist.

        Defending the status quo and you call me the idiot. We’re doomed as a soccer nation if we can’t even see the obvious a fans. Not saying JJ was the best option, he was injuryed. I’m saying not being willing to see the fault of our system and the obvious corruption I mention above is what dooms us as fans.

      • Having trouble with reading comprehension I see, again no one is pining for JJ, as I said he was injured anyway. I am pining for USMNT MF that can boss a lowly TnT B team which MB seems to not be a part of.

        In regards to “Altidore and Bradley were our best players”, really you haven’t been watching much. Plenty of EPL and Bundeesliga teams with other Americans on the books would beg to differ with you and I’ll take what their scouts say over your OPINION.

        Europe couldn’t wait to get Altidore and Bradley off their books and probably were amazed MLS/Toronto were willing to over pay on transfers to bring them back. They took the money and ran. No way Altidore or MB could make an EPL or Budesliga roster after 2015, but we did have other Americans (some at the same positions) who where making EPL and Budesliga rosters, and you say Bradley and Altidore were “the best we had.” Please, call me when you wake up.

      • JJ did play in only 2 of the Hex qualifiers, both losses. One a real blowout. He was not the only player at fault, but he was no savior either.

    • You can question the relationship that exists between SUM, MLS, and USSoccer, but to claim unequivocally that that is the reason for the failure to produce basically a single international caliber player during an entire generation is a reactionary bit of blowhardedness. The same can be said for blaming the failure on Bradley and Altidore, who are our best players and still in their prime. They are clearly not world class players who can carry a team of players who are not as good as them. However, if they were playing with players who were as good as or better than them instead of players who were not anywhere as good as, we would not be in the situation we are. Pining for an over the hill Jermaine Jones is just pitiful.

      The fact is that MLS is stronger than it’s ever been. The fact is that our development system is stronger than it’s ever been and actually starting to produce players now that tons of investment over several years has taken place. In many ways, the future of our national league and our national team looks stronger than it ever has because we actually have a ton of youth products, and this wave has only JUST begun. The generation of players from 23-28 is horrendous. The generation of players ahead of them isn’t that great either. The blame for that should be spread much wider than your basic theory that SUM and USSoccer are corrupt and that Bradley and Altidore should never wear the shirt again.

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      • Just don’t listen Joe “basura” he’s just that basura. He’s probably been paid by “angry” Eric Wynalda or Riccardo Silva to troll the U.S. Federation and the MSL. He’s just another loser of the NASL.

      • That is the point that is VERY conveniently ignored. We had a better team in 2002, etc.
        MLS is too blame, bad player development.

        OK
        So lets go back to the old days then, when the US used to develop players by…….ok, I am at a loss, what did we drop to get to now?

    • Well, there was that giant doughnut hole in our talent pool. For whatever reason the generation after Dempsey/Donovan/Howard was just awful. It definitely bit us.

      Jozy and MB are polarizing figures because they did not get it done at T&T but there wasn’t much generational help around them – just Geoff Cameron and Brad Guzan, really – and there certainly wasn’t anyone better in their age group. Some okay-but-not-great players like Zusi and Bedoya and there really weren’t even a bunch of those. Really like Justin Morrow but he didn’t emerge until he was basically 30 with Toronto.

      The next gen is flashing plenty of talent, though, as was noted above. I do think we’re going to bring a loaded squad to Qatar…which still sounds weird in my mouth, since it’s still hard to really believe there will really be a World Cup in Qatar and it will actually be played there.

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      • Gonna be a blast with those air conditioned outdoor stadiums and designated drinking “areas”. Can’t wait man. Just hope they don’t confiscate my passport once I enter the country. Will be reading my room contract very carefully. Who am I kidding I’m not going to Qatar, at the rate we’re on at USSoccer I give us a 70% chance of qualification next round, if USSF hires an MLS coach to manage the NT I say that goes down to 50/50. Kathy will be president and will declare things are good after banking another 100MM though.

  4. Mary Stock MNT’s Bundesliga Boys” Jermaine is telling the truth. I especially note the naivete of ATXHTX. “.Doniel Garbs can’t be dumb enough to just blabber mouth this info to JJ for no reason, right? ” These things happen, esp. if more influence is on one side or the other. As it was in the Revs case . Pretty sad for the Fire. The whole affair smacked of cheating. Jermaine was amazing in the way he handled it publicly when he was introduced. He had to make the best of a bad situation. And he did.

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  5. I don’t know if it was rigged or not, but Doniel Garbs can’t be dumb enough to just blabber mouth this info to JJ for no reason, right? If he did, his need to know protocol needs a serious update.

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  6. Couldn’t care less what he has to say. Completely lost the plot in the last 2 years or so including his stupid red card against Ecuador. Time to hang them up!!!

    He didn’t seem to have a problem with anything until he got pushed out of both Galaxy’s starting XI and USMNT 23 because he was not good enough anymore. If the draw was rigged, why did he wait for 3.5 years to say it???

    Sour grapes!

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    • Yeah just sour grapes from this A– hole. Just getting even with the league because they don’t need him anymore because he’s not good anymore. And you : Joe ” basura” corruption where? stop defending the loser of ” angry” Eric or the losers of the NASL That’s where the real corruption exits, little a.h.

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