This week, FTW spoke with Cobi Jones, the former USMNT and LA Galaxy star who was just named to the MLS’ 25 Greatest list in honor of the league’s 25th anniversary.
In our interview we talked about snubs from the list, the current state of the league and USMNT, bias against MLS players in the USMNT picture, and the country’s youth movement.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Congrats on the top 25.
Thank you very much.
How do you feel about the list overall?
I like it. I think it’s fantastic. Looking at some of the names on there, it is a bit of a tribute to some of us old timers that were there at the beginning. And you know, I like to see that these names were not forgotten.
Who’s missing on the list?
I obviously have my biases, but you know, I would say Carlos Ruiz should be on there, for what did for MLS and the Galaxy.
I’m giving it a quick glance. Mauricio Cienfuegos is another Galaxy guy, and one who should be on there. Obviously I’m biased but once again, those are players that were huge parts of not only the Galaxy, but also of the whole league in those early days.
No Thierry Henry. Might make a few people upset.
Yeah, we’ll see. And those will be the debates, right? You can always debate a guy like Thierry Henry, because he was in the league for how many years?
Four or five, I believe.
Yeah, I think people have to realize there’s a difference between the history or the accolades of the player and what they’ve done around the world vs. what they’ve done during their time within MLS.
If you’re talking about accolades in general, Thierry Henry should be number one, you know? But did that transfer over into what he did within MLS in the years that he was there?
Looking ahead to MLS Cup final, two players who are very interesting to me right now are Gyasi Zardes and Jordan Morris, specifically with regards to the USMNT. Right now there seems to be a very, very clear narrative about what direction the U.S. men’s national team is going: Young, playing in Europe, playing in Champions League. That’s what they’re building around.
And then there’s Gyasi and Jordan, and I can also bring in Jozy Altidore here, guys who are playing in MLS and are kind of more established men’s national team players who have been around for a bit. Is there a concern that this narrative is going against them? That’s something they have to fight against? Or is that something that [USMNT head coach] Gregg [Berhalter] is not even thinking about?
I think Gregg is thinking about that, and I think the narrative is going against them. Is it fair? No, I don’t think so. Because I think there’s specific talents and each of those players that would benefit the national team.
I don’t think you look there’s one thing you can’t train and that’s speed. And when you talk about Jordan Morris, his speed is something you can’t train, and his ability to use his right is only getting better and better, so I think he’ll always be a choice on that national team.
Now talking about the overall. Yeah, there’s there’s always been a bias against the players that play within MLS.
That’s a bias that exists internationally, too. “You play in MLS? Well, that doesn’t mean a lot.” Well, that’s wrong. I mean, I think players within the MLS have proven it over the years, I think they continue to prove it as these players that are in the MLS are being bought up by European teams.
I mean, if you are playing at the Champions League, and you’re playing and you’re scoring goals, yeah, of course, you’re going to be considered one of the top players, and will be in the national team all the time. I just think below that there will be a natural bias against those MLS players.
So about that Champions League talent, this is something we’ve just never seen before with a group of Americans, specifically at this young of an age. And I think a lot of it is about circumstance and opportunity. And maybe Europeans opening up their minds to the thought of American talent. What I’m curious abo–
No that’s key. That’s huge. What you just said. The mentality in Europe is changing.
It’s almost like every club over there is like, “Oh, we got to get our 19-year-old American in here.”
Yeah. Exactly.
What I’m curious about, though, is for the positions on the field where that young American hasn’t established themselves at a position. Look at striker. Right now, Zardes and Altidore are probably the two best strikers in the pool right now. Just pure and simple, looking at right now. Is there a concern that the narrative will work against them? Or that fans will stick their noses up at them?
Yeah. Fans will stick their noses up. But let me tell you, if Jozy or Gyasi go into the national team and score some goals during qualifiers or during the World Cup, guess who the fans’ favorite striker will be?
The onus is on the players. And for Jozy at least, I know that he has the attitude of: “I don’t care. I’m going to do my thing.”
And if you have that attitude, where you can go out and put all the noise behind you, and do the work, the naysayers will fall by the wayside.
But it’s also OK for fans to be like that. I’m a fan. You know with Jozy and Gyasi, we know them. A guy like Josh Sargent, he’s playing over in Europe, and we don’t know what he’ll become. There’s always an interest in the things that you don’t see day to day — a grass-is-greener type of thing.
Last question: We’re talking about narratives, and we’re seeing this youth movement, this European model where players are spotted and developed very young. I’m curious if you’re worried there might be a danger that now the USMNT or MLS clubs will miss out on a player who doesn’t hit his stride until they’re 17 or 18. Are we going to miss out on late blooming talent?
Yes. Yes. Without a doubt.
I was a late blooming talent. A quick story — I ran track in high school, and I can remember, being one of the average guys running the 400. And I can remember this day, specifically, where all of a sudden, I was a senior in high school, and one day my pace just picked up, and all of a sudden I was beating the top guys in the 400. I don’t know what happened, if it was an explosion, or all of a sudden my body started coming into its own.
I was 17 or 18 years old, and suddenly I jumped up a level just as far as my speed went, and it made me stand out. We have to find those guys.
I’m not saying it couldn’t happen, but right now I struggle to imagine a career like yours, or Clint Dempsey’s, happening. Like I can’t see that happening now. Maybe it could, maybe I’m maybe I’m being unfair, but like, I couldn’t see a guy at Furman University for a few years and then end up at Tottenham, like with Dempsey.
It’s hard to imagine, but I guarantee you, we’re going to find another one. There are always people who slip through the cracks.
Maybe someone doesn’t find the game until late, and plays college soccer, and that puts a little bit more of a chip on someone’s shoulder.
I guarantee you in the next few years, we’ll see somebody else that comes through the ranks like that, through college, and then all of a sudden boom, they’re on the national team, and they’re blowing up and they’re gonna have a story like mine, like Dempsey’s. And they’ll show us that there’s more than one way to get to the top.
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