CARSON, Calif. – Jermaine Jones is joining the LA Galaxy for one reason.
“Win the championship.”
The Galaxy announced the signing of the 35-year-old central midfielder on Wednesday to bolster a midfield that lost the likes of Steven Gerrard and Jeff Larentowicz in the offseason.
Jones joins the Galaxy with considerable experience after spending 14 seasons in Europe before moving to Major League Soccer where he made stops with the New England Revolution and the Colorado Rapids. The 35-year-old has also earned 67 caps with the U.S. National Team and is currently with Bruce Arena’s squad at the annual January Camp at StubHub Center.
Given his success at the highest levels both at the international and club level, it was an easy decision for Jones to make the switch to the league’s most accomplished club.
“Like Bayern Munich in Germany or other clubs in Europe, this is the top club in America,” said Jones. “If you go to all the players who play in MLS, everyone would have the opportunity to go to L.A.; they’d pick that. The moment that I knew that there was an opportunity, I told my agent to try [make it happen].
“My family is here, my kids are here, and every time I played here, I really enjoyed it. … I’m looking forward to it, and I’m excited.”
A game-changing box-to-box midfielder, Jones has already had discussions with head coach Curt Onalfo on where he’ll fit into the Galaxy’s plans on the field in the upcoming season. However, whether Jones lines up in a holding role or as more of a attacking midfielder, the 35-year-old is eager to be a leader in a young Galaxy side.
“With my teams that I played before, you can see it. It’s not always what you see on the field, but also the whole session in training or the communication with the players,” Jones said. “Now that big players have left the club; it’s pressure on the guys who step in.
“This is a good team and a good club. Everyone who puts this jersey on knows that they have pressure to perform on the field.”
After the conclusion of January camp, Jones will join up with the Galaxy and get to work on helping his new club move into a new era.
“[The Galaxy] are the biggest club in MLS. Every player knows that this season we have that pressure and we want to get that [MLS Cup],” Jones said. “I’m excited. It’s L.A., and I’m excited by this group.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog atLAGalaxy.com/insiderand contact him atLAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
