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 feet 0 inches (1.84 m)
Playing position	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)
National team
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)
Teams managed
2023–2024	Central Valley Fuego
Honours Representing  United States Men's Football CONCACAF Gold Cup Runner-up 2011
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of November 25, 2019. † Appearances (Goals).

Jermaine Junior Jones (born November 3, 1981) is a former professional soccer player. He played as a defensive midfielder, helping protect his team's goal. Jones is currently the head coach of Central Valley Fuego FC in USL League One.

Jermaine was born in Germany. His father was American, and his mother was German. He grew up playing soccer in Germany. He even played for Germany's national teams at the Under-21 and senior levels. However, he wasn't a regular player for Germany. 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 an amazing goal against Portugal.

Early Life and Childhood

Jermaine Jones was born in Frankfurt, Germany. He grew up in a part of the city called Bonames. His father was an African American soldier from the U.S. Army. He was stationed in West Germany. Jermaine's mother was German.

As a child, Jermaine lived in Chicago, Illinois and Greenwood, Mississippi in the United States. After his parents divorced, he moved back to Germany with his mother.

Club Career Highlights

Starting His Soccer Journey

Jones began playing soccer in youth teams. He started 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 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.

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

Time at Bayer Leverkusen

Because he was playing so well, Bayer Leverkusen bought him. But he didn't get to play much for their main team. So, he spent most of the 2004–05 Bundesliga season playing for Bayer Leverkusen II.

Returning to Eintracht Frankfurt

Loan Spell Back Home

Just six months after joining Bayer Leverkusen, Jones went back to Eintracht Frankfurt. He played on loan. During this time, he played 14 games and scored three goals.

Permanent Deal and Challenges

Before the 2005–06 season, he signed a permanent deal with Eintracht Frankfurt. However, he got a serious leg injury that needed surgery. He was out of the game for eight months. He only returned for the last game of the season.

Over the next two seasons, Jones became a very good player. He even became the captain of the team. In March 2007, Jones decided not to extend his contract. This made some Eintracht supporters upset. He then joined Schalke 04.

Playing for Schalke 04

Jones training with Ivan Rakitić in 2011.

Jones played for Schalke 04 for several seasons. He faced more injuries, including a muscle injury in 2009–10. This kept him out of many games. Still, he played regularly for the first time in his career, appearing in 70 games over three seasons.

At the start of the 2010–11 season, Jones didn't play much. He had a disagreement with the team manager, Felix Magath. He was sent to train with the reserve team.

Loan to Blackburn Rovers

On January 14, 2011, English team Blackburn Rovers wanted to sign Jones on loan. They hoped to sign him permanently later. Blackburn needed a strong defensive player.

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 was named "man-of-the-match" in that game. He played 15 Premier League games for Blackburn. He became a favorite among the fans.

Back to Schalke 04

After playing well for Blackburn, many thought he would stay there. But the clubs couldn't 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 try to qualify for the Champions League. He also helped them reach the quarterfinals of the Europa League. On March 15, Jones scored a goal and assisted another in a Europa League match. Schalke 04 won 4–1.

On April 28, Jones played in a 4–0 win against Hertha Berlin. This win secured Schalke's spot in the Champions League group stages for the next year. Jones played 20 games in the 2011–12 season.

On February 20, 2013, Jones scored a goal in a Champions League match. Schalke 04 drew 1–1 with Galatasaray.

Moving to Beşiktaş

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

Playing in Major League Soccer (MLS)

New England Revolution

On August 24, 2014, Jones joined Major League Soccer (MLS). He became a "designated player" for the New England Revolution. He scored his first MLS goal on September 26, 2014. Jones and the Revolution reached the MLS Cup 2014 final. They lost 2–1 to the LA Galaxy in 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 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 a league game.

Ontario Fury (Indoor Soccer)

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

In 2018, Jones coached the Real So Cal U19 academy team.

On November 6, 2023, Jones was named head coach of USL League One team Central Valley Fuego.

International Career

Jones became a German Under-21 international. He was popular in Frankfurt.

Jones playing for the United States in 2013

Even though Jones played for Germany's Under-21 team, he wasn't often chosen for the senior team. In June 2009, Jones said he wanted to play for the United States. This was because the German coach, Joachim Löw, didn't seem to have plans for him.

Jones was allowed to switch teams because of new FIFA eligibility rules. These rules let players change national teams if they haven't played in an official senior FIFA match. Jones could play for the U.S. because he had both German and American citizenship.

On October 20, 2009, FIFA approved Jones to join the United States national team. He met with the team in March 2010. He made his debut for the United States against Poland in October 2010. He even helped Jozy Altidore score the first goal.

On June 19, 2011, Jones scored his first international goal. It was during the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup against Jamaica. On May 26, 2012, he scored his second international goal. This was in a 5–1 win against Scotland.

On June 16, 2014, Jones played his first FIFA World Cup game. The U.S. won 2–1 against Ghana. In the next 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 tie. Even though the U.S. lost to Germany, they still moved on to the next round. They were later knocked out by Belgium.

In May 2016, Jones was chosen for the U.S. team for the 2016 Copa America. 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.

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

Images for kids

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  Jones with the United States in 2013

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  Jones training with Ivan Rakitić in 2011.

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  Jones playing for the United States in 2013