Jermaine Jones

13. Jermaine Jones Midfielder | Club: Besiktas (Turkey) Jones has a reputation as a hard-nosed defensive midfielder who can sometimes take his intensity too

Liviu Bird|

Jermaine Jones

13. Jermaine Jones

Midfielder | Club: Besiktas (Turkey)

Age	Hometown	Height	Weight	Goals	Caps
32	Frankfurt, Germany	6-0	170	2	41

Jones has a reputation as a hard-nosed defensive midfielder who can sometimes take his intensity too far. He has cut back drastically on the number of yellow cards he receives, though and Klinsmann likes him as Michael Bradley’s partner in central midfield. Despite being born in Germany, Jones has embraced his American heritage and is clearly proud to represent the U.S.

OUTLOOK: Perhaps it’s slightly overblown —he’s often a yellow-card threat, but rarely does he go over that —but Jones’discipline, both in maintaining his positioning and his temper, will be tested again in Brazil. He received five yellow cards in his last eight league matches for Besiktas, and just two in the World Cup would result in a suspension.

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Published Jun 2, 2014 | Modified Jun 2, 2014

LIVIU BIRD

Liviu Bird is a soccer analyst with more than 20 years of experience in the game. He learned how to play in the streets of Romania before moving to the soccer wilderness of Fairbanks, Alaska, escaping to play collegiately as a goalkeeper at Highline Community College and Seattle Pacific University, where he also earned his B.A. in journalism. Bird played semiprofessionally and had tryouts at professional clubs but hung up his gloves in 2012 to focus on writing and coaching at the youth and collegiate levels. He joined Sports Illustrated in March 2013 as a freelance contributor and has also written for NBC Sports, Soccer Wire, The New York Times, American Soccer Now and the Telegraph (UK).

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