Jones Puts World Cup Behind Him
The guy wandering the Left Bank, trying to lay low, was Cobi Jones. Those recognizable dreadlocks posed a problem, but, he said, “I had my hair covered most of the time.”
Not that Jones felt ashamed of the American team’s three consecutive losses at the World Cup. He simply got tired of all the commotion. He wanted some time on his own.
A day at the Louvre. Nights in the Latin Quarter.
“I decided to enjoy Paris a bit,” he said. “Enjoy my last experience there.”
Now it’s back to work, back to the Galaxy for a game against the Kansas City Wizards at the Rose Bowl tonight. If Major League Soccer seems a long way from the glare of the world stage, Jones isn’t complaining.
“It’s good to be back,” he said.
But the ghosts of France are not so easily dismissed. There are questions about the U.S. squad’s performance. “We ended up in last place,” Jones said. “We have to swallow that.”
There are questions about Steve Sampson, who resigned as coach earlier this week, and the veterans who openly criticized him. Jones does his diplomatic best.
“Some players decided to take it into the press, but that’s not something I’m going to do,” he said. “You can’t just blame it on one person. Everyone has to take a little responsibility for the way things went.”
Most of all, there are questions about whether Jones’ performance at the World Cup will earn him a ticket back overseas.
MLS Deputy Commissioner Sunil Gulati has been contacted by European and South American clubs interested in acquiring five of the league’s players. Gulati has yet to disclose which players are involved. Not even the players themselves have been told.
“If there is something out there, just let me know,” said Jones, who is rumored to be among the five. “I’m the type of person that, if there’s a present there, I want to open it.”
But having grown up in Westlake Village and played at UCLA, he is also the type who might be torn by such an offer.
“You want to go overseas, you want to see how you can do over there in the top leagues in Europe,” he said. “Then there’s also the fact that you want soccer to grow in this country. You want to help it grow. You want it to be like those leagues overseas.”
So, for now, Jones will focus on MLS and helping the Galaxy fend off a charging Chicago Fire in the Western Conference.
His high-intensity style and speed down the flanks will add even more juice to a 14-2 team that is scoring at a record pace of 3.31 goals a game. That’s more than three times what the U.S. squad managed during its entire stay in France.
The Galaxy offense already has threats in forwards Welton and Carlos Hermosillo, acquired from Mexico’s first division a few weeks ago. Add to this mix Jones, who ranks as the league’s fifth-leading scorer despite missing half the games this season.
“You’re motivated to get back out there and get some wins under your belt,” Jones said. “That would be very nice.”
