Jermaine Jones facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jermaine Jones

Jones with the United States in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Jermaine Junior Jones
Date of birth	(1981-11-03) November 3, 1981 (age 43)
Place of birth	Frankfurt, West Germany
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.84 m)
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder
Youth career
1988–1994	SV Bonames
1994–1995	FV Bad Vilbel
1995–1999	Eintracht Frankfurt
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1999–2004	Eintracht Frankfurt II	31	(9)
1999–2004	Eintracht Frankfurt	46	(7)
2004–2005	Bayer Leverkusen II	15	(5)
2004–2005	Bayer Leverkusen	5	(0)
2005	→ Eintracht Frankfurt (loan)	14	(3)
2005–2007	Eintracht Frankfurt	24	(2)
2007–2014	Schalke 04	129	(7)
2011	→ Blackburn Rovers (loan)	15	(0)
2014	Beşiktaş	10	(0)
2014–2015	New England Revolution	28	(2)
2016	Colorado Rapids	9	(3)
2017	LA Galaxy	20	(1)
2018	Ventura County Fusion	1	(0)
2019–2020	Ontario Fury (indoor)	5	(10)
Total		347	(39)
International career
2001	Germany U20	4	(0)
2002–2003	Germany U21	8	(3)
2004	Germany Team 2006	1	(0)
2008	Germany	3	(0)
2010–2017	United States	69	(4)
2019	United States arena	1	(0)
Managerial career
2023–2024	Central Valley Fuego
Medal record Representing  United States Men's Football CONCACAF Gold Cup Runner-up 2011
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of November 25, 2019

Jermaine Junior Jones (born November 3, 1981) is a former professional soccer player. He played as a defensive midfielder. Jones was most recently the head coach of Central Valley Fuego FC in USL League One.

Jones was born in Germany. His father was American and his mother was German. He grew up playing soccer in Germany. He played for Germany's national teams at the U21 and senior levels. Later, he decided to play for the United States. He joined the U.S. team in 2010. He played in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and scored a memorable goal against Portugal.

Early Life

Jones was born in Frankfurt, Germany. He grew up in the Bonames area of the city. His father was an African American soldier from the U.S. Army. His mother was German. As a child, Jones lived in Chicago, Illinois and Greenwood, Mississippi. After his parents divorced, he moved back to Germany with his mother.

Club Soccer Career

Starting Out

Jones began his youth soccer journey at SV Bonames. In 1994, when he was 12, he moved to FV Bad Vilbel.

Playing for Eintracht Frankfurt

In 1995, Eintracht Frankfurt invited him to join their youth academy. He spent five years there, improving his skills. He first played for the Eintracht Frankfurt II team in the 2000–01 season. He played 25 games and scored eight goals.

Jones then moved up to the main Eintracht Frankfurt team in 2001. He played 46 games for them over two years. He scored seven goals, mostly playing as a central defensive midfielder.

Time at Bayer Leverkusen

Because he was playing so well, Bayer Leverkusen bought him. However, he did not get many chances to play for their main team. He spent most of the 2004–05 Bundesliga season playing for Bayer Leverkusen II.

Back to Eintracht Frankfurt

Jones returned to Eintracht Frankfurt on loan just six months after joining Bayer Leverkusen. He played 14 games and scored three goals.

Before the 2005–06 season, he signed a permanent deal with Eintracht Frankfurt. During that season, Jones had a serious leg injury. He was out of the game for eight months. He returned for the last game of the season. Over the next two seasons, Jones became a strong player and was named captain of the team.

In March 2007, Jones announced he would not stay with Eintracht Frankfurt. This led to him joining Schalke 04.

Playing for Schalke 04

Jones training with Ivan Rakitić in 2011.

Jones played for Schalke 04 for several seasons. He played 70 games in three seasons, which was his most regular playing time. In the 2009–10 season, an injury kept him out for most of the time. At the start of the 2010–11 season, he did not play much. He was then made available for transfer.

Loan to Blackburn Rovers

On January 14, 2011, English team Blackburn Rovers showed interest in Jones. They wanted to take him on loan. On January 18, 2011, Jones officially signed on loan until the end of the season.

He played his first Premier League game on January 23, 2011. He started and played the whole game in a 2–0 win against West Bromwich Albion. He was named man of the match in his first game. Jones played well in other games too, earning another man-of-the-match award. He played 15 Premier League games for Rovers. He became a favorite among the fans.

Back to Schalke 04 Again

After playing well for Blackburn, it was thought he might stay there. However, the clubs could not agree on a price. So, he returned to Schalke 04 in July 2011. A new manager, Ralf Rangnick, gave Jones a chance to stay. Jones became a key player in defensive midfield. He helped Schalke 04 aim for a Champions League spot. He also helped them reach the quarterfinals of the Europa League.

On March 15, Jones scored a goal and assisted another in a 4–1 win against FC Twente. This win helped Schalke 04 move forward in the Europa League.

Jones played 20 times in the Bundesliga during the 2011–12 season. He played his last game in a 3–2 win against Werder Bremen. Schalke secured third place, which meant they would play in the Champions League.

On February 20, 2013, Jones scored an equalizing goal for Schalke 04. This was in a 1–1 draw with Galatasaray in the Champions League.

Moving to Beşiktaş

On January 30, 2014, Jones joined Turkish club Beşiktaş. He signed a contract until the end of the season.

Playing in the MLS

New England Revolution

On August 24, 2014, Jones joined Major League Soccer (MLS). He became a "designated player" for the New England Revolution. This meant he earned a higher salary. He scored his first MLS goal on September 26, 2014, against Sporting Kansas City. Jones and the New England Revolution reached the MLS Cup 2014 final. They lost 2–1 to the LA Galaxy after extra time.

Colorado Rapids

Jones did not agree on a new contract with New England. So, he was traded to Colorado Rapids on March 4, 2016. On April 16, 2016, Jones played his first game for Colorado Rapids and scored a goal. He was nominated for MLS Player of the Month in April 2016.

LA Galaxy

On December 13, 2016, LA Galaxy acquired Jones's MLS rights. He officially became a Galaxy player on January 18, 2017. His contract was not renewed at the end of the season.

Ventura County Fusion

On July 14, 2018, Jones played for Ventura County Fusion in their last regular season game.

Ontario Fury

Jones returned to professional soccer on March 12, 2019. He signed with the Ontario Fury in the Major Arena Soccer League. On February 20, 2020, Jones announced he was retiring from playing professionally.

Coaching Career

Jones served as a coach for the Real So Cal U19 academy team in 2018.

On November 6, 2023, Jones was named head coach of USL League One team Central Valley Fuego. In October 2024, Jones was suspended by the USL for the rest of the 2024 season.

International Soccer Career

Jones became a German Under-21 international while playing for Eintracht Frankfurt.

Jones playing for the United States in 2013

Even though Jones played four games for Germany's Under 21 team, he was not often chosen for the senior team. In June 2009, Jones said he would be available to play for the United States. This was because he realized the German national team manager did not have plans for him. Jones could play for the United States because of new FIFA eligibility rules. These rules allow players to switch national teams if they have not played in an official FIFA match with the senior team. Jones had both German and American citizenship.

On October 20, 2009, FIFA approved Jones to join the United States national team. He joined the U.S. team for a friendly game against Brazil on August 10, 2010. However, he had to withdraw due to fitness concerns. Jones was later included in the team for friendly games against Poland and Colombia in October. He made his debut for the United States against Poland. He helped Jozy Altidore score the first goal of the game.

On June 19, 2011, Jones scored his first international goal. This was in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup against Jamaica. On January 21, 2012, he was captain for the team in a 1–0 win against Venezuela. On May 26, 2012, Jones scored his second international goal in a 5–1 win against Scotland.

On June 16, 2014, Jones played in his first FIFA World Cup game. He started and played the whole game in a 2–1 win against Ghana. In the next group game, the U.S. was losing 1–0 to Portugal. Jones scored the tying goal with a curving shot from far away. The game ended in a 2–2 draw. The U.S. team moved on to the next round, even after losing 1–0 to Germany. The U.S. was later knocked out by Belgium with a 2–1 loss.

In May 2016, he was chosen for the U.S. 2016 Copa America team. He was named Man of the Match after a win against Costa Rica. Jones was the highest-rated player for the U.S. at the Copa América Centenario in June 2016.

International Goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
01.	June 19, 2011	RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C., United States	Jamaica	1–0	2–0	2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
02.	May 26, 2012	EverBank Field, Jacksonville, United States	Scotland	5–1	5–1	Friendly
03.	June 22, 2014	Arena da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil	Portugal	1–1	2–2	2014 FIFA World Cup
04.	June 7, 2016	Soldier Field, Chicago, United States	Costa Rica	2–0	4–0	Copa América Centenario

Personal Life

Jermaine Jones married Sarah Gerthe in 2007. They have five children together.

Jones is good friends with former soccer player Steffi Jones. She used to manage the Germany women's national soccer team. Steffi Jones is also German-American and her father was an African-American soldier. Both Jermaine and Steffi played for the same club, SV Bonames, but at different times. They are not related.

Career Statistics

See also

In Spanish: Jermaine Jones para niños

• German-Americans