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Cobi Jones

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For the American football player, see Kobe Jones.

Cobi Jones
Jones with LA Galaxy in 2007
Personal information
Full name Cobi N'Gai Jones
Date of birth (1970-06-16) June 16, 1970 (age 54)
Place of birth Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1985–1988 Westlake Warriors
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1988–1991 UCLA Bruins
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994–1995 Coventry City 24 (2)
1995–1996 Vasco da Gama 4 (1)
1996–2007 LA Galaxy 306 (70)
Total 334 (73)
International career
1992–2004 United States 164 (15)
Managerial career
2008 LA Galaxy (interim)
2008–2010 LA Galaxy (assistant)
Medal record
Representing  United States
Men's soccer
FIFA Confederations Cup
Third place 1992 Saudi Arabia
Third place 1999 Mexico
CONCACAF Gold Cup
Runner-up 1993 United States–Mexico
Third place 1996 United States
Runner-up 1998 United States
Winner 2002 United States
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Cobi N'Gai Jones (born June 16, 1970) is an American former professional soccer player and commentator. He is an analyst for MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. He has also been seen on Time Warner Cable SportsNet, Fox Sports, BeIN Sports, the Pac-12 Network, and as the host of the Totally Football Show: American Edition. In addition, during the 1990s, he hosted the health show Mega-Dose on MTV.

As a player, Jones was a midfielder from 1994 until 2007, starting his career in England with Premier League club Coventry City, before playing for Brazilian side Vasco da Gama. He is one of a significant group of United States national team stars who returned from overseas to aid the then new Major League Soccer in 1996, beginning an 11-year spell with the LA Galaxy. Jones is the all-time leader in caps for the United States national team and a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Following retirement, Jones served as an assistant coach with the LA Galaxy for two seasons.

Youth

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Jones grew up in Southern California. He played soccer with AYSO starting at age 5 in Westlake Village, California.[1] After graduating from Westlake High School, Jones emerged as a talented player in college, making the UCLA soccer team as a non-scholarship player, ultimately becoming one of its most successful soccer-playing graduates. While attending UCLA, Jones was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha, an international fraternity.[2]

Club career

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After playing in the 1994 World Cup held in the United States, Jones signed with English team Coventry City of the Premier League, where he spent one season. Jones trained with a German club 1. FC Köln of the Bundesliga before joining Brazilian club Vasco da Gama after impressive performances with the United States national team in the 1995 Copa America.[3] After only a few months in Brazil, Jones signed with the new Los Angeles Galaxy franchise for Major League Soccer's inaugural season.

Jones's best year with the Galaxy came in 1998, when he was second in MLS with 51 points (19 goals and 13 assists), was named to the MLS Best XI, and was also named U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year. In 2005, he became the last player in MLS to remain with his original team since 1996. Jones announced on March 19, 2007, that he would retire following the season.

International career

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Jones is currently the all-time leader of the United States in appearances, with 164 caps as of the end of 2004 (scoring 15 goals). He played for the team in the 1994, 1998, and 2002 FIFA World Cups. He was named to the best XI at the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup and won with the national team at the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He also represented his country at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. After playing in the 1995 Copa America, he also became a popular player in Latin America because the nickname used by an Argentine commentator to call him: "Escobillón" ("swab"), due to his bleached dreadlock hairstyle and the similar pronunciation of his name, Is Cobi Jones, and the word "escobillón".

Coaching career

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On November 9, 2007, Jones was announced as an assistant coach with the Galaxy under Ruud Gullit. After Gullit's resignation on August 11, 2008, Jones served as the interim head coach until the Galaxy hired Jones's former United States national team head coach Bruce Arena.

In January 2011, Jones left the Galaxy to serve as associate director of soccer with the New York Cosmos and was with the club through 2012.

Personal life

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On September 12, 2009, Jones married Kim Reese. Reese, a music consultant and former music executive at New Line Cinema, met Jones in 2003 and began dating him in 2004. The couple was married at the Four Seasons Resort Aviara in Carlsbad, California.[4] They have two sons, Cayden and Cai.

On March 11, 2011, Jones was selected for induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.[5]

Jones is a part of the ownership group of Angel City FC of the National Women's Soccer League.[6]

Career statistics

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Club

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[7][8]
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Los Angeles Galaxy 1996 Major League Soccer 28 7
1997 26 7 4 1
1998 24 19
1999 28 8 1
2000 25 7 3 1
2001 22 6
2002 19 3
2003 28 2 4
2004 23 0
2005 31 3
2006 27 4 2
2007 25 4
Total 306 70
Career total 306 70 14 2

International

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Appearances and goals by national team and year[9]
National team Year Apps Goals
United States 1992 3 1
1993 30 2
1994 23 2
1995 12 1
1996 14 2
1997 14 0
1998 15 0
1999 8 0
2000 16 6
2001 10 0
2002 14 0
2003 1 0
2004 4 1
Total 164 15
Scores and results list the United States' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Jones goal.
List of international goals scored by Cobi Jones
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 October 19, 1992 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  Ivory Coast 2–1 5–1 1992 King Fahd Cup
2 March 23, 1993 San Salvador, El Salvador  El Salvador 2–1 2–2 Friendly
3 October 13, 1993 Washington, D.C., United States  Mexico 1–1 1–1 Friendly
4 January 15, 1994 Tempe, Arizona, United States  Norway 2–1 2–1 Friendly
5 February 18, 1994 Miami, Florida, United States  Bolivia 1–1 1–1 Friendly
6 June 11, 1995 Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States  Nigeria 3–2 3–2 Friendly
7 May 26, 1996 New Britain, Connecticut, United States  Scotland 2–1 2–1 Friendly
8 December 1, 1996 San José, Costa Rica  Costa Rica 1–2 1–2 Friendly
9 January 29, 2000 Coquimbo, Chile  Chile 2–1 2–1 Friendly
10 February 12, 2000 Miami, Florida, United States  Haiti 3–0 3–0 2000 Gold Cup
11 February 16, 2000 Miami, Florida, United States  Peru 1–0 1–0 2000 Gold Cup
12 June 3, 2000 Washington, D.C., United States  South Africa 1–0 4–0 2000 Nike U.S. Cup
13 2–0
14 November 15, 2000 Waterford, Barbados  Barbados 4–0 4–0 2002 World Cup qualifying
15 September 8, 2004 Panama City, Panama  Panama 1–1 1–1 2006 World Cup qualifying

Honors

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UCLA Bruins

Los Angeles Galaxy

United States

Individual

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "AYSO Alum Cobi Jones Elected to National Soccer Hall of Fame". American Youth Soccer Organization. Archived from the original on April 3, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  2. ^ "Re-colonization at UCLA". Lambda Chi Alpha. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
  3. ^ Araújo, Alexandre; Braz, Bruno. "Americano veio ao Vasco 'à la Honda', jogou pouco e aprendeu palavrões". UOL (in Portuguese). Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  4. ^ L.A. Galaxy Soccer Star Cobi Jones Weds by Mark Dagostino at people.com, URL accessed October 3, 2009. March 10, 2009.
  5. ^ "Cobi Jones, Eddie Pope, and Earnie Stewart Elected to National Soccer Hall of Fame Class of 2011". Ussoccer.com. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  6. ^ "Cobi Jones". Angel City FC. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  7. ^ "Major League Soccer: History: All-Time MLS Player Register". web.mlsnet.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2009. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  8. ^ "Concacaf". www.concacaf.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2009. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  9. ^ "Cobi JOnes – U.S. Soccer Media Guide". 2013 USMNT Media Guide. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  10. ^ All-Star Game flashback, 1996 Archived December 28, 2014, at the Wayback Machine at MLSsoccer.com
  11. ^ All-Star Game flashback, 1997 at MLSsoccer.com
  12. ^ "1998 MLS All-Star Game". MLSsoccer.com. August 2, 1998. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  13. ^ "1999 MLS All-Star Game". MLSsoccer.com. July 17, 1999. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  14. ^ "2000 MLS All-Star Game". MLSsoccer.com. July 29, 2000. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  15. ^ "Columbus Crew SC's Federico Higuain joins MLS 50-50 club | MLSSoccer.com". MLSsoccer.com.
  16. ^ "Athlete of the Year Award". US Soccer. Archived from the original on November 10, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
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