DeJuan Jones is one of several players that had to wait until 2023 for his first U.S. men’s national team opportunity, but after making back-to-back Concacaf Gold Cup appearances, the 26-year-old fullback has shown more of why he was called into the squad.
Jones earned back-to-back starts against Saint Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad & Tobago during Group A play this summer, registering one assist and delivering strong defensive performances. The former 2019 first round draft pick has helped B.J. Callaghan’s squad to consecutive lopsided victories and two clean sheets heading into Sunday’s quarterfinal showdown vs. Canada.
Close to six months after making his senior USMNT debut during the January camp, Jones reflected on his latest opportunity to represent his country.
“It’s been amazing to play two games in a row, and to notch my first assist in a convincing way,” Jones said Friday in a press conference. “It was a great experience for me.
“We’re just looking to continue to build on these experiences and grow as a group,” he added. “I feel like my confidence has grown as well just playing in bigger games, so it’s been it’s been great, and I’m continuing to grind, and do whatever I can in training to put my best foot forward.”
Jones enjoyed a standout collegiate career at Michigan State University before jumping right into the Revolution’s first team plans in 2019. He has since been a regular contributor at left back during Bruce Arena’s reign as head coach, totaling 123 league appearances, six goals and 18 assists, and being part of the Revs’ 2021 Supporters’ Shield-winning squad.
Jones’ USMNT opportunity has not only allowed him to continue developing his game on the international level, but also re-connect with former Revs goalkeeper and current USMNT No. 1 shot-stopper, Matt Turner. Turner featured alongside Jones in the Revs’ defensive corps over the past four MLS seasons before moving to English Premier League giants Arsenal last summer.
Turner and Jones’ past chemistry in Foxborough has been on display recently with the USMNT and the 29-year-old goalkeeper believes there is even another level that Jones can get to if he earns the opportunities.
“It’s been really great,” Turner said Friday about Jones. “Watching him grow, and grow into this role of outside back, being challenged in a different environment with a different intensity of game, different types of games; seeing him grow as a player, and also as a person has been really great.
“I want him to be able to fit out of the door on the way out of this interview, so I’m not going to big him up too much,” Turner jokingly said. “But everyone knows how level-headed he is, and how great of a player he is, so his ceiling is really, really high.”
Thought Jones did well, particularly getting forward on his assist, but let’s be real about how little defending he had to do. Think I actually prefer the more technical Tolkin, who was tested against top attackers in the first match and held up well. I am ok with either one in this tourney but I do hope Tolkin gets another game.
Jones has been good the last 2 games, but just like Ferreira he needs to prove himself against a higher level of competition than St. Kitts & Trinidad before he should be considered a legitimate back-up to Jedi for the A-Team.
Good news is that he’ll hopefully have 3 more GC matches to prove himself.
Looks like Dortmund have reversed course on Gio. Now they are saying Gio is staying put with Dortmund and they have no intention of selling or loaning him out.
A very good option emerging for Robinson’s backup.
I was a little disappointed to see he’s already 26. I think he’s a Europe guy for sure if he gets a move now but while he’ll be 28 for the next World Cup – no problem there – the one after that, he’ll be 32, which for speed guys is iffy. Landon Donovan only played until 31. Yedlin’s already slowing down some and he’s only 29.
I definitely saw a guy with a chance at making the roster for the ’26 World Cup, but he might only be a one-cycle guy.
Damning with faint praise, Really!
How’s that?
I think he’s a good player with Europe possibly in his future, but he’s got very little time to waste. He’s kind of the poster boy for how the college system does not exactly mesh well with the professional development system we see in Europe. I figured he was a college guy and googled him, and I was right: Jones was at Michigan State 2015-2018, and played for two PDL squads – the now-defunct Myrtle Beach Mutiny and Lansing United. PDL helps – I’ve had a couple of my guys go through that system while in college – but it’s still not a pro team’s Academy. This meant Jones was 22 when he finally was drafted by New England in 2019, and he did get 20 appearances that first season but he wasn’t a full-time starter until 2021.
Jones has without question done very well for himself given the hand he was dealt, but from a professional standpoint college soccer, ironically, slows you way down, especially if you do all four years and he did.
Soccer players really do have such a narrow window to establish themselves. If you don’t make it to Europe by your mid-20’s, unless you’re a keeper like Matt Turner, you likely aren’t ever going to. So I like the guy – I actually think he’s probably the best backup I’ve seen for Jedi yet – but the clock is also ticking for him if he wants to take that next step.
By that rationale then the USMNT should drop him now.
Why waste time when you know he’s going to be a failure and there are younger players who are 100% guaranteed to be better ?
You need to go back and read what I wrote, my man. You have a distinct tendency to make really tiresome strawman arguments and put words in people’s mouths they didn’t actually say.
Quozzel,
I read what you wrote.
You’re putting down the guy because he might ONLY be good enough for.one WC cycle.
You know what’s tiresome? This IV inspired arrogance that the USMNT needs to ignore anyone of a certain age because we have to plan for the future.
This team has yet to secure the present let alone the future.
Blasting through these high-school Concacaf teams is a useful exercise but it’s a long way from telling anyone what Gregg is going to spawn this time out and how good they will be.
How about we wait until we actually have one regular starter in the top five leagues who is actually a legit star before we start looking down our noses at guys like DeJuan?
We have Ream and Antonee who are solid but not stars. We have Tyler who is solid but of highly questionable durability.
That’s it.
Everyone else, everyone, is a question mark, some bigger than others.
We should be thankful for DeJuan
Nothing wrong with that. Some players for any country may only play in one WC.
Oh, for sure. What I mostly doing is expressing regret that he didn’t emerge sooner. We’re doing better but we still see it way too much with the American youth-development pipeline. PDL – actually, I think it’s called “League Two” now – tries to bridge that gap and it does help, but we’re still missing way too many guys when they’re young.