This Should Quiet The Jermaine Jones Haters, For A Day At Least

Look I get it, if you just know Jermaine Jones from his caps for the U.S. men's soccer team the past few years then you probably don't get what all the hype is about. So he is a clumsy midfielder that can pick up a bunch of yellow cards, what's the big deal? I'm not a founding member of his fan club by any means but a highlight reel goal like this by him (for Schalke this afternoon in a Champions League Round of 16 match vs. Galatasaray) shows that maybe Jurgen Klinsmann is onto something.



PS With this goal, he became only the second U.S. player to score this late in the UEFA Champions League, joining DeMarcus Beasley.

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It Seems Jermaine Jones Is A Ruthless Goon; Suspended For 8 Weeks in Germany

Some disturbing news from Germany where U.S. men's national team midfielder Jermaine Jones plays for Schalke: he has been suspended for eight weeks (6 Bundesliga games, 2 Europa League games) for intentionally stepping on an opponent's injured foot.

Take it away AP
"After first saying it intended to appeal, Schalke said Thursday it will accept the penalty.

The control committee of the federation found Jones intentionally stepped on the left foot of Borussia Moenchengladbach midfielder Marco Reus during a Bundesliga match last month. Reus was nursing a broken left small toe and was playing with a specially designed shoe. He still scored two goals in a 3-1 win for his team.

The incident early in the game was not noticed by the referee, but was caught by television cameras. The disciplinary panel used video footage to file ''grave misconduct'' charges against Jones, who was ejected at the end of the match in an unrelated incident. It was the fourth red card of his career.

Jones is be banned from any competitive and exhibition matches until March 1. He will miss six Bundesliga games and two Europa League games but remains eligible for selection for the U.S. national team's exhibition game at Italy on Feb. 29.

Jones, who has made 14 appearances for the United States national team, apologized to Reus shortly after the incident."

Soccer is unlike football or hockey in the sense that teams aren't really required to have physical enforcers. Soccer is rougher than critics give it credit for but there's no place for bush league tactics. I haven't followed Jones' career close enough to know if he's always on the edge or this was a one time crazy lack of control. Let's all hope he learns his lesson and cleans his game up (steps off soapbox).

UPDATE 1/13: Jones was called into U.S. camp, since what else does he have to do at the moment, so look for him to play in the upcoming friendlies for the U.S. in January.

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Where are they now: Raul headed to Germany

Stop me if you've heard this one before: washed up player, seeks new challenges in a foreign land.

No I'm not talking about another European coming to MLS, that general statement covers Raul Gonzalez. The former Real Madrid and Spain star is headed to Germany's Schalke, after signing a two-year deal yesterday.

With Spain's Euro 2008 title and 2010 World Cup trophy, it's easy to forget how dominant Raul was when the national team wasn't at quite the level it is today.

He joined Schalke on a free transfer, after spending his entire pro career (15 years) with Real Madrid.

"I'm looking forward to starting on a new challenge," Raul said. "It's an important challenge for me."

Coach Felix Magath, who secured Raul's agreement on Tuesday evening, said it was "great news for Schalke."

"I'm glad that we succeeded in enthusing such an exceptional footballer and world-class goal scorer about a move to the Bundesliga and to Schalke," Magath said. "His signing is a decisive step in our efforts to strengthen and restructure the squad."

Schalke had a gap to fill in its attack after Kevin Kuranyi left for Dynamo Moscow at the end of last season. Kuranyi's 18 goals helped the club to a second-place finish in the Bundesliga behind Bayern Munich, qualifying it for Champions League play.

Raul is Schalke's second signing from Real Madrid in the offseason, joining former Germany defender Christoph Metzelder, who spent three injury-filled seasons at Madrid and saw little playing time.

Raul announced his departure from Real Madrid on Monday.

"I want to experience another type of football, a different culture -- that's an important challenge in life," he said at the time. "German or English football -- those are the only two places I would go ... my motivation is to keep playing football."

Raul was mostly relegated to the bench at Madrid following a spending spree by the club last summer.

At Real Madrid, Raul won three Champions League titles, six La Liga titles and two International Cups.

He leaves with 228 league goals for Madrid and a record 44 goals in 102 appearances for Spain, though he hasn't played for the national team since 2006.

Raul is also the leading scorer in UEFA competitions with 66 goals, including 64 in the Champions League.