5 Things To Know About Revs' Midfielder Jermaine Jones
BOSTON (CBS) -- The New England Revolution made a huge signing over the weekend, bringing U.S. Men's National Team midfielder Jermaine Jones to Major League Soccer.
Jones has made a name for himself with a solid 14-year career in Europe, but became a household name with his strong play for the U.S. during the recent World Cup in Brazil. Now, the German-American is bringing his talents stateside, signing a reported $4.7 million deal for the next year and a half with New England.
Here is all you need to know about the newest member of the New England Revolution:
1. Jones was born November 3, 1981 in West Germany. Jones' father was a member of the U.S. Army serving in West Germany when he was born, and he grew up in Illinois and Mississippi before moving back to Germany with his mother when his parents got divorced.
2. He started his senior career in 1999, playing for numerous teams in Germany's Bundesliga. He started with Eintracht Frankfurt before moving to Bayer Leverkusen, and had another stint in Frankfurt before signing with Schalke 04 in 2007. Jones also played for England's Blackburn Rovers and, most recently, Turkey's Besiktas.
3. Injuries kept Jones from playing in competitive matches for Germany's national team, and a FIFA rule change allowed him to switch allegiances to the United States in 2009.
Jones debuted with the U.S. National Team in October 2010 and has earned 46 caps, scoring three goals. He scored his first goal with the U.S. in 2011 – a game-winner against Jamaica to push the U.S. into the semifinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
He made his World Cup debut against Ghana in 2014, playing all 90 minutes of the United States' 2-1 win, and scored a beautiful goal against Portugal to help the U.S. earn a 2-2 draw.
4. Jones has many tattoos covering his body, but decided to get one to show off his American pride prior to the 2014 World Cup. He got a giant star filled with an American Flag on his left kneecap:
"This idea came up and I said, 'I am American, so that is what I will do.' The [tattoo parlor] had the star and then I saw a flag among their designs. So that is what I got: a big star with the U.S. flag inside it," Jones told Yahoo! Sports earlier this year. "I am proud to be half-half, proud to be half-American and half-German and to play proudly for the U.S. national team."
5. Jones has been married to his wife, Sarah Gerthe, since 2007 and the couple has five children together: Keanu, Liya-Joelle, Kenyon, Junius, and Jadee-Mae. You can follow him on Twitter @JermaineJunior.
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