COLUMBUS, Ohio — Jermaine Jones walked through the mixed zone at Crew Stadium looking like the most patriotic player on the U.S. Men’s National Team. Jones was holding a United States stick flag over his right shoulder and his neck was decorated with one of the scarves U.S. Soccer distributed prior to Tuesday night’s World Cup qualifier vs. Mexico.
He was clearly proud to be an American, especially after helping his team qualify for the 2014 World Cup.
Jones has been a lightning rod for criticism since playing in his first U.S. game in September 2010. Part of that is because he has in fact struggled in his fair share of matches, but part of it is also down to him playing a position that is not very glorious due to all the defensive responsibilities that it requires.
Michael Bradley, Kyle Beckerman and Danny Williams have all endured similar criticisms over the years when playing in comparable defensive roles, but that does not take away from the value that their American teammates and U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann have for them. Jones is no different.
“He’s been amazing. He showed why he’s playing in Champions League today,†said DaMarcus Beasley. “Today, he’s fighting. The ball he played, he was very simple. We told him, against (Costa Rica) he was kind of forcing it a little bit, trying to make the game. But we told him, ‘Let the game come to you.’
