The integration of German-American midfielder Jermaine Jones in the US National Team setup will have to wait, as the Schalke player faces another round of surgery on his injured shin.
Bad news for Schalke, certainly, though it essentially changes nothing for US National Team head coach Bob Bradley. Though Jones' possible availability surely came as welcome news back in April, Bob Bradley has given no indication that he is "waiting" on Jermaine Jones, or that the new player would be an immediate contributor to the the team.
As I wrote with Edgar Castillo, no player should walk in to the team without a solid vetting and showing concrete evidence that he can contribute in the greater scheme. Jones, while he is backed up by a significant pedigree and a proven track record where Castillo is not, would still have likely been only a spot contributor at most during the last two matches of World Cup qualifying. Although he could easily step in immediately and be an upgrade over the central midfield options currently available, there's no reason not to give him a chance to acclimate to his new team.
It's a moot point now. Instead of attempting to work Jones in during the crucible of qualifying, Bradley will now have to do so during the much more relaxed, yet still crucial, World Cup warm-up next year (assuming the US qualifies, knockonwood). Bradley won't exactly go into 2010 with a clean slate, but with the business of qualification behind him, he may be better able to find a way to maximize Jones' abilities. All the better if it leads to a more settled, more effective, team in the World Cup
That is, of course, provided that Jones returns to full fitness, and that pesky business of FIFA approval finally concludes (apparently it's the German FA's fault that is isn't done).
Luckily for Bradley, he does have several options in the central midfield, and is actually awash with players in a mold similar to Jones. There's no rush here, mostly because what Jones can bring to the squad is just a higher level of quality doing what several other players do.
Still, and suggestion that Jermaine Jones doesn't eventually have a place in the US team is ludicrous. Clark, Bradley, Feilhaber (not to mention the rehabbing Mo Edu), are nice, but none of them would threaten to knock Jones out of the starting lineup if the roles were reversed. Provided the Jones can be integrated easily and reaches an understanding with his teammates fairly quickly, there's no reason to believe that Bob Bradley won't be writing his name on the team sheet as soon as possible. Obviously it wouldn't be a question if Jones was the creative playmaker that the Americans so desperately need; but regardless of his skillset, his talent and experience make him a clear candidate to go to South Africa.
Jones, like Castillo, is a bonus, a new player of solid experience and great talent who Bradley could not possibly have expected to have at his disposal (eventually). Jones' injury setback is a problem only because it pushes back the timetable and constricts the acclimation period; how Bradley handles things now will be an important storyline of the post-qualification, pre-World Cup period.
As fans, we're just anxious to see him don a USA shirt, and there's no reason not to be excited.
