Interview: Jermaine Jones Focused For Copa America Centenario, "I’m Not Done Now"

Jones is not only tasked with helping America win the tournament on its home soil, but also with helping soccer grow in the States.

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Complex Original

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Contrary to popular belief, people actually watch soccer in the United States, and today marks the country’s biggest moment with the sport since it hosted the World Cup in 1994. The 100th edition of the Copa America tournament, dubbed the Copa America Centenario, kicks off Friday as the U.S. Men’s National Team plays against Colombia, and it’s been rumored that quite a few people will tune into the match.

Fans are skeptical about the U.S.’s chances in Copa, given a string of poor performances as of late, but when the Americans take the field the country pays attention. One of the stars set to lead the USMNT on the pitch, however, wasn’t born in the US of A. Instead, Jermaine Jones was raised and learned the game in Germany. He played for Bundesliga clubs such as Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Schalke 04—along with playing for the German men’s national team—before coming over to the USMNT and the MLS.

While that history might bother some die-hards, it doesn’t bother Jones. He’s playing for the U.S., and, at the age of 34, still going strong. He’s not only tasked with helping America win the tournament on its home soil, but also with helping soccer grow in the States. That’s a bigger battle than him and his teammates proving themselves against the best nations in North and South America.

(This interview has been edited and condensed).

The World Cup in 1994 was huge for soccer culture in the U.S. Do you think Copa is going to be on the same level?I would say that after the World Cup in 1994, soccer is growing year after year. Then there was the World Cup in 2014, and it was a big step for soccer in the States. With the Copa being a big tournament in the U.S., we’ll be able to push soccer. What the U.S. team is able to do in Copa will help soccer grow here.

What’s the key to success for the U.S. in Copa?
We need to focus from game to game and do the same as we did in 2014, and then try and come out of our group and go from there.

In the States, there’s a lot of pressure on the U.S. Men’s National Team with how you’ve been playing. Do you feel that pressure in front of the home fans?
It’s always good to have that pressure. At the end of the day, if you don’t have that pressure, you won’t have people there to watch the games. Every country has that pressure if you play on the national team. It’s on us. The pressure will be on us with the tournament being in the States, but I would say the pressure is good.

Recently the Men’s National Team has had some letdowns. How are you guys able to put those behind you and overcome them for Copa?
It’s easy. None of these players will ever play in another Copa in the U.S. You have to enjoy that tournament and do the best and go from there. You win and lose games. We didn’t play our best games in recent qualifying. It’s a new tournament, though, and everything starts fresh. We know we have everyone on board with what the coach wants. Then we go from there.

What team is going to give you the biggest challenge in the group stage?
We have respect for all the teams. South Americans teams aren’t easy to play. They have good footballers and they play hard. We have a lot of respect for Colombia, Paraguay, and Costa Rica. We don’t pick one out and say [this is the toughest team]. We go game to game and focus and see if we can come out.

What advice is Jurgen Klinsmann giving you for the tournament?
It’s a tournament right now in the United States. It’s the second-biggest soccer tournament since the 1994 World Cup. You don’t know when the country is going to get the next big tournament in the United States. Enjoy it and try to show people that soccer is coming, and the National Team can make a strong case for the sport.

Is it reassuring to work with Jurgen, given that he’s German, too?
I already knew him when he was the coach of the German team. I knew what would happened when he came here to the United States. Me and Jurgen have a good relationship, he knows my up and downs, how I work, and how important I can be for a team. It’s not only the games on TV, it’s the training sessions. He got my back, he protects me to make the right steps. On the field I make sure that I give my best.

You scored a goal in the World Cup. Would scoring a goal in Copa give you the same feeling?
Every goal you score for your country is a special goal. It stays in history, in your mind, and on paper. Every goal for the National Team is a special goal, especially when you represent your country in tournaments like the World Cup or Copa where it’s a bigger a stage.

With the MLS season going on right now and your team, the Colorado Rapids, being on top of the table, how do you not lose focus of chasing the Supporters’ Shield with Copa going on?
For me it’s easy. I know when I have to be focused. I’m a game changer and can take teams to the next step. Since I’ve stepped on the playing field with Colorado, we’ve had success with the whole team. We are number one now, and we want to stay there. But now I have to focus on the National Team, and I have to put Colorado behind me. They play this weekend, too, and I hope the guys win that game, but, for me, my focus is on Copa right now.

You were born in Germany, spent most of your life out there, including your club career. Some Americans may look at you as German rather than American. How do you address that when playing for the National Team?
I have an American dad, I’m half American. I learned playing soccer in Germany, and I’m proud of it. Germany is one of the biggest soccer-playing countries in the world. I played for Germany, and I had a lot of success. That’s why I have success when I play with the teams here in the MLS. I’m 34 and people say, “He’s too old,” but I’ve played in the Champions League, and not a lot of American players can say that. I played for the German national team, and there’s a lot of things I can show. People can say, “Oh, he’s not American,” but Americans can be proud to have a player like me on their roster. I can show people that I’m not done now, I can still play. If I was American or born in America, I would have the same game as Landon Donovan. I started with Donovan at a young age when he was at Leverkusen. He decided to go back [to America], but I didn’t have that chance. I didn’t have an American passport, so I decided to make my career in Germany. And I did it, I played for the German national team. I’m not scared that people say, “Oh, he’s German.” It’s true. I’m half German. I learned my game over in Germany, but I’m proud of it.

What made you switch from the German national team to the U.S.?
A lot of people don’t know I tried to switch over earlier. The problem was that I played for U [21] team. I didn’t think it was a possibility to switch to the U.S. People told me there was a rule that if someone played for a national team, then they couldn’t switch. So I said, “OK, I’ll focus and play for Germany.” It was hard to make it onto that tough team in Germany, but, at the end of the day, I did it. But they changed the rule. They said if you play for the U teams but don’t qualify for the first team, you can switch. That time, me and Bob Bradley talked about it. I told him, “If I have the chance, I want to come.” Since then, if I’m not injured, I’m playing for the U.S. every game.

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