Love him or hate him, you can't argue with the results. Jermaine Jones was a key part of the United States advancing to the knock-out rounds. His fans get to tell his critics "I told you so!" while the critics seem pleasantly surprised. Jones has always been an enforcer with the USMNT, but his showing in Brazil proved that he is much more than that.
Fans of the Bundesliga and Schalke praise Jones and his abilities. Some even claim he is the best CDM of this generation, or ever, to come from the United States. He is potent on the attack, solid holding down the back line, and aggressive towards the ball. Having played in several UEFA Champions League Tournaments, he is one of the most experienced Americans on the team. But USMNT followers who don't look him day in and day out have always been sceptical of Jones. For all the praise he gets, it has never fully translated to the international level. While many feel Jones is a great asset, he is often seen as a liability to the team. He is skilful in the attack, but he has a tendency to leave his position and expose the back line. The Costa Rica qualifier on the road comes to mind. Jones pushed up and left a glaring hole that was exploited for the Ticos opening goal in what would be a 3-1 victory. The cries for Kyle Beckerman to take his place began to gain ground. Even worse than being out of position is the idea that Jones is an accident waiting to happen. He play on the edge all the time, which makes it feel like he's on bad decision from the locker room. While he has never been sent off during international play, his tenancy to pick up yellow cards severely limits his abilities. Being a player known for hard challenges and great pressure on the ball, he can be a target for opponents. When on a yellow, Jones seems to lose his edge and get beat a lot more often while trying to stay on the field.
Regardless of where you stand with Jones, it's hard to pick a better player for the USMNT throughout the Group. Howard was critical to the success of the team, Besler anchored the back line for 235 minutes, and Zusi had two wonderful assists, but nobody was as present on the field as Jones. Jones scored the second best goal the Yanks had and, if not for a defensive breakdown, would have been the game winner over Portugal. He protected the back line with his partner Beckerman better than we saw all through WCQ. But the most notable contributions he made were his runs through the middle. With Michael Bradley struggling every game to find his rhythm, it was Jones who created the spark in the midfield. His passing and vision were wonderful, No player contributed as much as Jones for the USMNT.
The question that remains is why was he so successful? Are we finally seeing what all of his fans see? Is he just in great form right now? What role does Klinsman play? The answer is simple. It's everything. Jones is in the best form he's ever been in as an international player and finally playing at the level his Schalke supporters see all the time. Credit needs to be given to Klinsman as well. Pairing JJ with Kyle Beckerman may have been the most brilliant move Klinsman has made as the coach of the Yanks. Beckerman is a stay at home CDM who functions in a destroyer role while Jones lets loose up front. Jones paired with Bradley in the 4-2-3-1 left holes in the back. Both are very attack minded and good at it, but both going up created issues. Those two together would not have cut it against Ghana, Portugal, and Germany. The injection of Beckerman freed Jones up to be himself and live up to his potential.
Jones started all the games and played the entire 270 minutes in the group. He scored one beautiful goal and had an assist to his name. The bigger surprise might be that he committed less than 10 fouls and only got a single yellow card. If his form keeps up, there is no doubt that he will be remembered, not as an enforcer, but as the best CDM to every wear the red, white, and blue.