Cobi Jones facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Cobi Jones

Jones with LA Galaxy in 2007
Personal information
Full name	Cobi N'Gai Jones
Date of birth	(1970-06-16) June 16, 1970 (age 55)
Place of birth	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Playing position	Midfielder
Youth career
1985–1988	Westlake Warriors
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)
National team
1992–2004	United States	164	(15)
Teams managed
2008	LA Galaxy (interim)
2008–2010	LA Galaxy (assistant)
Honours Men's soccer Representing  United States CONCACAF Gold Cup Winner 2002 United States Runner-up 1993 United States–Mexico Runner-up 1998 United States Third 1996 United States FIFA Confederations Cup Third 1992 Saudi Arabia Third 1999 Mexico
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Cobi N'Gai Jones (born June 16, 1970) is a famous American former soccer player. He played as a midfielder. Cobi Jones is also known as a soccer commentator and analyst. You can see him on Apple TV's MLS Season Pass. He has also worked for other sports channels like Fox Sports.

Cobi Jones played soccer professionally from 1994 to 2007. He started his career in England and Brazil. Later, he became a big star for the LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer (MLS). He holds the record for the most games played for the U.S. national team. He is also a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. After he stopped playing, Cobi Jones worked as a coach for the LA Galaxy.

Cobi Jones's Early Life and College Soccer

Cobi Jones grew up in Southern California. He started playing soccer with AYSO when he was just five years old. This was in Westlake Village, California.

After finishing Westlake High School, Cobi became a very skilled college player. He joined the UCLA soccer team. He didn't have a scholarship at first, but he became one of UCLA's most successful soccer players.

Cobi Jones's Club Soccer Career

After playing in the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Cobi Jones signed with an English team. He played for Coventry City in the Premier League for one season. Then, he moved to Brazil to play for Vasco da Gama.

After a few months in Brazil, Cobi Jones came back to the U.S. He joined the new Los Angeles Galaxy team for the first season of Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1996. He played for the Galaxy for 11 years.

His best year with the Galaxy was in 1998. He scored 19 goals and made 13 assists. He was named to the MLS Best XI (a team of the best players). He also won the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year award that year. In 2005, he was the last player left who had been with his original MLS team since 1996. Cobi Jones announced his retirement from playing soccer on March 19, 2007.

Cobi Jones's International Career with Team USA

Cobi Jones is the player with the most appearances for the U.S. national team. He played in 164 games for his country, scoring 15 goals. He played in three FIFA World Cups: 1994, 1998, and 2002.

He was part of the best team at the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He also won the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup with the national team. Cobi Jones also played for the U.S. at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. After playing in the 1995 Copa America, he became very popular in Latin America. A commentator nicknamed him "Escobillón," which means "swab." This was because of his bleached dreadlock hairstyle and how his name sounded similar to the word.

Cobi Jones's Coaching Career

After retiring as a player, Cobi Jones became an assistant coach for the LA Galaxy. This was in November 2007. He even served as the team's interim head coach for a short time in 2008. This was before Bruce Arena, his former national team coach, took over.

In 2011, Cobi Jones left the Galaxy. He then worked as an associate director of soccer for the New York Cosmos until 2012.

Cobi Jones's Personal Life and Achievements

On September 12, 2009, Cobi Jones married Kim Reese. They have two sons named Cayden and Cai.

On March 11, 2011, Cobi Jones was chosen to be in the National Soccer Hall of Fame. This was in his first year of being eligible. He is also part of the group that owns Angel City FC. This is a women's professional soccer team in the National Women's Soccer League.

Achievements and Awards

Cobi Jones won many awards and championships during his 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

Career Stats

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

Scores and results list the United States' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Jones goal.

List of international goals scored by Cobi Jones

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	October 19, 1992	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	Ivory Coast	2–1	5–1	1992 King Fahd Cup
2	March 23, 1993	San Salvador, El Salvador	El Salvador	2–1	2–2	Friendly
3	October 13, 1993	Washington, D.C., United States	Mexico	1–1	1–1	Friendly
4	January 15, 1994	Tempe, Arizona, United States	Norway	2–1	2–1	Friendly
5	February 18, 1994	Miami, Florida, United States	Bolivia	1–1	1–1	Friendly
6	June 11, 1995	Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States	Nigeria	3–2	3–2	Friendly
7	May 26, 1996	New Britain, Connecticut, United States	Scotland	2–1	2–1	Friendly
8	December 1, 1996	San José, Costa Rica	Costa Rica	1–2	1–2	Friendly
9	January 29, 2000	Coquimbo, Chile	Chile	2–1	2–1	Friendly
10	February 12, 2000	Miami, Florida, United States	Haiti	3–0	3–0	2000 Gold Cup
11	February 16, 2000	Miami, Florida, United States	Peru	1–0	1–0	2000 Gold Cup
12	June 3, 2000	Washington, D.C., United States	South Africa	1–0	4–0	2000 Nike U.S. Cup
13				2–0
14	November 15, 2000	Waterford, Barbados	Barbados	4–0	4–0	2002 World Cup qualifying
15	September 8, 2004	Panama City, Panama	Panama	1–1	1–1	2006 World Cup qualifying

See also

In Spanish: Cobi Jones para niños

• List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps