CHICAGO – While it may be open to debate how effective Jermaine Jones was in his USA debut, there is simply no question it was eventful.
The Schalke midfielder received his long-awaited first cap Saturday night, going the full 90 in the US’ 2-2 draw with Poland at Soldier Field.
Apart from one glaring mistake, Jones played well. The Schalke midfielder assisted on the Americans’ first goal, picking out forward Jozy Altidore with a perfectly lofted through ball in the 13th minute. He continued to play solidly after the assist, showing personality, remarkable vision, good speed and some serious defensive bite.
It was almost a dream debut – and then, in the 73rd minute, Jones made that glaring mistake. He picked up a loose ball just outside of the American box and – instead of clearing his lines – attempted to take on a Polish player. Jones failed to slip by the defender, turning the ball over in a critical area. Polish midfielder Jakub Blaszczykowski made him pay just moments later, blasting a powerful shot inside the far post from 15 yards out to tie the game at 2-2.
“It was just a little bit of a misunderstanding,” Jones said through a translator after the match. “I looked over at [goalkeeper Tim Howard] and didn’t see the guy [Polish player] coming in from the backside. It was just a little bit of a mix-up between playing with some guys for the first time.”
US manager Bob Bradley said he thought Jones did well, but that he still sees some room for the 28-year-old to improve.
“It’s still going to take time how he meshes on the field,” Bradley said. “There were some stretches in the game where we all saw some very good plays [from Jones]. He had a great ball on the first goal. Still, it’s going to take some time as far as overall movement and coordination because I still think he can be better.”
Jones certainly could improve his coordination with normally free-roaming midfield partner Michael Bradley. With Jones roaming between the back line and the attack, Bradley was forced manage his position in a way which meant he was not as visible as he often is.
“There’s always a little bit of a feeling out period regardless of who you’re playing with” the younger Bradley said after the match. “So that’s normal. But I think all in all there were things to build on. It’s certainly still a work in progress.”
