Last week the Colorado Rapids signed midfielder Jermaine Jones in a sign-and-trade deal with the New England Revolution. In exchange for Jones, the Revolution received Colorado’s natural first-round draft pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft and general allocation money.
Before he can play a game for the Rapids, he must serve a six-game suspension that he received after making contact with referee Mark Geiger during the Revs playoff game last year. Despite all of that, Jones is excited at the prospect of playing for Colorado.
Jones Speaks to Media at Press Conference
At his introductory press conference, Jones explained why Colorado was one of his preferred destinations; “I think it’s the challenge. We know how last season ended [in Colorado]. It’s a young team now for the new season. It all points to where I want to go in a new challenge; making this team into a team that’s not on the bottom. Maybe we can make it a little bit higher and into the playoffs."
“Maybe I can be the last piece on a young team,” added Jones. “For me that was a positive to move forward.”
Jones stated a variety of factors played into him ending up in Colorado. One of them being close to his family and that ownership completely revamped the team in the offseason; “It’s the whole package what I got here,” Jones said. “It’s close to home in LA. But then you have a real soccer stadium with a main focus on soccer. [In Colorado] you have a young team with 16 new players. You see that the club wants to build something. That’s a key point too.”
Jones Talk About His Suspension
Jones cannot play for the Rapids until their April 16th home match against the New York Red Bulls. Jones didn’t have too much to say about it; “There’s not too much to say anymore,” Jones said of the suspension. “For me, it’s done and I’m thankful that I’m getting the opportunity here in Colorado and they’re trusting me. People who know me know that I’ll always try to get their trust back.”
New signing Marco Pappa believes having Jones, a United States men’s national team player, on the team is a good thing and he should know as he played two season with Clint Dempsey in Seattle.
“At the end of the day, we all fight for the same goals and these kind of players are competitive players and teammates,” said Pappa. "They want the best for themselves and for the team.”
Only time will tell if Jones will actually help the Rapids similarly the way he helped the Revs when he joined them in the summer of 2014. Once Jones was added to New England’s roster, the Revs made a run to the 2014 MLS Cup Final.