“I don’t like friendlies,” USA hard-man Jermaine Jones told FIFA.com, his words as direct and uncomplicated as his play. “I like it when it’s all on the line. I like my games all-or-nothing.”
His second match at the 2016 Copa America Centenario was just that kind. It was do-or-die. The hosts were caught between a rock and a hard place. They lost their opener 2-0 against Colombia and another loss to heated rivals Costa Rica would have ended their tournament after only 180 minutes of play.
“We had to win,” said Jones, who learned his football the hard way on streets among Frankfurt’s rough edges. “Right after the final whistle went and we lost the opener to Colombia, we put that result away. We couldn’t let it get in our heads. And we pressed hard in the next one against Costa Rica. You could see how hard we pressed."
It’s a fact. The Americans played a high-pressure game against the talented Ticos, nullifying the threats of Joel Campbell, Bryan Ruiz and Celso Borges, all stars of Costa Rica’s Cinderella run to the quarter-finals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™. It was an old-fashioned USA display, full of scowling grit and determination. And no one worked harder than Jones, who pushed up between the midfield and attacking lines to suffocate and intimidate. “I’m the kind of guy to show up on those hard days, to show up for the rest of the men. And it’s what this team is all about.”
In the end, Jones and Co ran the Central Americans off the road. He even scored a curling second goal in the 4-0 win, sending a message to a doom-and-gloom local media who wrote his team off at the start. They followed up with a 1-0 win over Paraguay, another game perfectly suited to Jones’ combative style as the Americans were forced to play a man down for the entire second half.
Six points from three games turned out to be enough for the Americans to win their Group, widely considered one of the toughest of the tournament. “The game got really physical and we had to stand up to them,” Jones said of the Paraguayans, known in South American circles for their rough-house qualities. “We showed the kind of mental and physical toughness you need to go far in a tournament.”
The long road home
Jones grew up in Chicago and Mississippi. When he was just seven, his German-born mother returned to her native land with her boy in tow. Jones grew up fast and father-less. Football became a way out, and by the age of 21 he was a top prospect in the German game. But when he moved to Bayer Leverkusen, discipline problems emerged. He partied with friends who moved with him from his old neighbourhood. He looked to be squandering his talents. His fouls and his card count overshadowed his potential. A future with the German national team, whom he represented at youth level and in a handful of senior friendlies, evaporated.
But when he was tapped for USA in 2010, it was a match made in heaven. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann, under pressure at the start of the tournament, knows better than most what this midfield worker brings to the table. “A lot of times on the pitch, it’s about who’s intimidating who,” the former world champion said. “And when you play against Jermaine [Jones] you know who’s in control.”
Jones is no stranger to football at the top level, and he knows what it takes to go deep in a tournament. He’s played in the UEFA Champions League with former club Schalke 04 and he likes what’s he’s seeing in this current US team. “We’re improving with each game,” said Jones, currently riding out the autumn of his club career in Major League Soccer with Colorado Rapids. “But what’s most important is how this team sticks together. We’ve played three times and we had to change our style three times. It shows we’re ready.”
The Stars and Stripes open the quarter-final round on Thursday in Seattle. Their opponent, Ecuador, is one of the most physical, athletic and competitive sides seen so far at the Copa America. It’s the perfect fit for Jones who, at 34, has blossomed into a mature leader. “Age is just a number,” he said, his German accent muddying the edges of his English. “We’re not the same team that lost to Colombia at the start. And big players show up on the big days.”