After nearly a month of build up, it’s finally happened: Jermaine Jones is coming to MLS, signing as a DP with the New England Revolution.
Before I get into the details of how this move went down and what I think of it, let me say congratulations to Horse Guy and the rest of the Revolution fan base. Robert Kraft finally did something to show he cares about more than just the Patriots and he’s shelled out some major cash for a player who will positively impact your team both on and off the field. As an MLS original, it’s about time. Now get on him about that stadium! But I digress…
Ridiculous And Secret MLS Rule: Jermaine Jones Signs With Revs
Many were surprised by the move. Yes, the Revs were in the running, but the Chicago Fire have been very public about their month-long huffing and puffing to get the 32-year-old US international. The general consensus was that the Fire was a better fit for Jones on the field, and the Chicago night life is probably more fun to him than Boston. But I continued on perusing the various news sources I frequent to see if Jones issued a statement about being impressed by the Revs style of play or wanting to help a young team with their lumps as a centerpiece. Maybe he really likes playing on turf.
From the Revs press release: “The Revolution and Chicago Fire expressed an interest in Jones, and had the available salary budget and a designated player slot to accommodate him. Following a blind draw between the two clubs, Jones was assigned to the Revolution.”
What? Excuse me. Wait, what? A BLIND DRAW? Really MLS? REALLY? Did Don Garber just Yolo the entire MLS community?
Every league in the US has their quirks: the NHL has the hybrid icing, the NFL and college football have fuzzy helmet-to-helmet penalty controversies, and MLB rules are such that a runner can both initiate and be rewarded for contact with an infielder.
But this is the kind of crap that keeps people from taking you seriously. Can you imagine if David Stern had rolled a die live during ‘The Decision’ to decide where LeBron ended up? The salary cap, the three DP slots maximum, and allocation order exist to promote parity and competition. They may be complex, but they work.
Most MLS fans are fed up by everything being done in secrecy. Contract lengths, contract values, transfer fees, etc. are still not disclosed publicly until after the fact, if ever. Furthermore, MLS has gotten into a terrible habit and a PR mess of announcing new rules as they come up for the first time. Many fans were caught off guard with DaMarcus Beasley signing as a DP with Houston through allocation because he was a ‘lesser DP.’ This was to the chagrin of Timbers fans, as Clint Dempsey was a ‘greater DP’ and got to forgo allocation. Furthermore, MLS agreed to pay the $9 million transfer fee for the Sounders, an issue that still hasn’t been resolved to my satisfaction and has just been forgotten about or ignored.
While every time this has happened in the past has been frustrating, the new surprise rule often makes sense. Having a CCL slot go to a conference regular season champ instead of the MLS Cup runner up makes sense. I can see where a DP who’s only making so much money can go through allocation, where a bigger name player is effectively a free agent. I can even see where if all the owners agree it’s for the greater good, MLS effectively gives $9 million to a team to buy a big name player.
But whoever came up with drawing a name out of a hat to decide where a DP is signed should be fired. Is there some third DP category Jones qualifies for where he isn’t subject to allocation but doesn’t get to choose where he wants to sign? Was he conflicted to the point where he let the league decide for him and Garber decided to pull a Two-Face? This wasn’t fair, logical, or professional. It was a joke.
Major League Soccer, there are many reasons why a significant portion of America isn’t into you. The crazy, complicated, and secret rules are one of them. But this is one of the few you have control over that you could fix tomorrow if you felt like it. How can anyone take you seriously when you do stuff like this? At least in the NBA lottery, teams are weighted based on win percentage, so it’s not totally at random.
I have nothing against Jermaine Jones signing with New England instead of Chicago. But I could not disagree more with the procedure and the way in which this and other rules have been handled and announced to the fans. It’s shady, distrustful, and reeks of conspiracy theory.
Now, what does this mean for New England’s playoff hopes?
The Revs have been missing two key things this year: a target forward to replace what Agudelo did last year and help in central midfield. Jones is a unique CM hybrid. He can destroy like a true holding midfielder but roams and can control play like a box-to-box midfielder. As shown during the World Cup, Jones hits beast mode when he is in a system and/or has a reliable pure CDM to work with that allow him to dabble between his two personalities. The rotation of roles in the diamond allowed Jones to switch styles to what the immediate situation called for. Playing alongside Kyle Beckerman, Jones could combine with Beckerman to make life miserable for the opponent in attack and was given the freedom to roam and contribute to the attack.
This is where I argue that Jones was a better fit in Chicago. They have a number of attacking options, and while none of them have been consistent throughout the season, they can still create. Frank Yallop’s squad’s big weakness is central midfield holding possession and a very young back line. Jones would most probably be pared with Jeff Larentowicz. The two could act as field generals, Larentowicz acting as Beckerman did this summer. Jones would be that needed cog. Much like Benny Feilharber for Sporting, Michael Bradley for Toronto, or even Dillon Powers for Colorado, Jones can dictate where the game is played on the field and turn gained possession into an attack.
Jones will be able to do the same for the Revs and it is a role that is much needed. But Andy Dorman and Scott Caldwell aren’t the same midfield partner Larentowicz would be. Growing up in the Bundesliga, Jones also has Route 1 distribution in his blood, which fits Chicago’s (and Frank Yallop’s) style better than New England’s Happy Feet. The Revs have a plethora of attacking options even without a pure #9, and now Jones is there to be the field general who can connect the dots. Jones is a good fit for New England, I just think he would have been a better fit in Chicago.
New England has 10 games left, including facing Columbus, Toronto FC, and Sporting KC twice each. Even with Jones, all three of those teams are better on paper than New England right now. Philly and NYRB also have difficult schedules riddled with the top Eastern Conference opponents. But Philly has been on a bit of a roll lately while Henry and Bradley Wright-Philips seem to be on a mission. The kicker for me is that most midseason DP signings don’t work out for that season. It’s too much of a change for the team, the player hasn’t had a preseason, and needs to get used to the league.
While signing Jones certainly makes New England a playoff contender for next season, I do not see them making the playoffs this year. But in a league where a player can sign with a team by luck of the draw, who knows?
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