Cobi Jones facts for kids
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Jones with LA Galaxy in 2007
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Cobi N'Gai Jones | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | June 16, 1970 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1985–1988 | Westlake Warriors | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1991 | UCLA Bruins | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1995 | Coventry City | 24 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1996 | Vasco da Gama | 4 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–2007 | LA Galaxy | 306 | (70) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 334 | (73) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–2004 | United States | 164 | (15) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | LA Galaxy (interim) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | LA Galaxy (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cobi N'Gai Jones (born June 16, 1970) is a famous American former professional soccer player. He was a talented midfielder who played for many years. After retiring from playing, he became a soccer commentator and analyst. You can see him on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, and he has also worked for other sports channels.
Cobi Jones started his soccer career in England with Premier League club Coventry City. He then played for a Brazilian team, Vasco da Gama. In 1996, he joined the new Major League Soccer in the United States, playing for the LA Galaxy for 11 years. He holds the record for the most games played for the U.S. national team. Cobi Jones is also a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
After he stopped playing, Jones worked as an assistant coach for the LA Galaxy for two seasons.
Contents
Early Life and College Soccer
Cobi Jones grew up in Southern California. He started playing soccer with AYSO when he was just 5 years old. This was in Westlake Village, California.
After finishing high school, Jones became a very good player in college. He joined the UCLA soccer team. Even though he didn't have a scholarship at first, he became one of UCLA's most successful soccer players.
Playing for Clubs
After playing in the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Cobi Jones signed with an English team called Coventry City. This team was in the Premier League, which is a top league in England. He played there for one season.
Later, Jones joined the Brazilian club Vasco da Gama. He played well for the United States national team, which helped him get this opportunity. After a few months in Brazil, Jones came back to the U.S. to play for the new Los Angeles Galaxy team. This was for Major League Soccer's first season in 1996.
Cobi Jones had a fantastic year with the Galaxy in 1998. He scored 19 goals and made 13 assists, which was a lot of points! Because of his great performance, he was chosen for the MLS Best XI (a team of the best players). He was also named the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year. In 2005, he was the last player in MLS who had stayed with his original team since 1996. Cobi Jones announced his retirement from playing soccer on March 19, 2007.
Playing for the United States National Team
Cobi Jones is a legend for the United States men's national soccer team. He has played more games for the U.S. team than anyone else, with 164 appearances. He scored 15 goals for his country.
He played for the U.S. team in three different FIFA World Cup tournaments: 1994, 1998, and 2002. He also helped the national team win the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He was even part of the U.S. team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.
After playing in the 1995 Copa America, Cobi Jones became very popular in Latin America. An Argentine commentator gave him the nickname "Escobillón," which means "swab." This was because of his bleached dreadlock hairstyle and how his name sounded similar to the word.
Coaching Career
After he stopped playing, Cobi Jones became an assistant coach for the LA Galaxy. He started this role on November 9, 2007, working under head coach Ruud Gullit. When Gullit left in August 2008, Jones was the temporary head coach. Later, his former U.S. national team coach, Bruce Arena, took over as the Galaxy's head coach.
In 2011, Jones left the Galaxy. He then worked as an associate director of soccer for the New York Cosmos until 2012.
Personal Life
Cobi Jones married Kim Reese on September 12, 2009. Kim is a music consultant. They met in 2003 and started dating in 2004. The couple got married in Carlsbad, California. They have two sons named Cayden and Cai.
On March 11, 2011, Cobi Jones was chosen to be part of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. This was his first chance to be selected, which shows how important he was to soccer.
Today, Cobi Jones is also part of the ownership group for Angel City FC. This is a women's professional soccer team in the National Women's Soccer League.
Honours and Awards
Cobi Jones won many awards and championships during his soccer career:
UCLA Bruins
- NCAA Division I: 1990
- NCAA College Cup: 1990
Los Angeles Galaxy
- CONCACAF Champions' Cup: 2000
- MLS Cup: 2002, 2005
- Supporters' Shield: 1998, 2002
- U.S. Open Cup: 2001, 2005
- Western Conference (playoffs): 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2005
United States National Team
- CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2002
Individual Awards
- MLS All-Star: 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
- MLS Best XI: 1998
- MLS 25 Greatest
- MLS 50/50 Club
- U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year: 1998
See also
In Spanish: Cobi Jones para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
