FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Jermaine Jones will travel with the New England Revolution for this weekend’s visit to the Chicago Fire, another significant step in his recovery from bilateral sports hernia surgery.
“I will travel with the team to Chicago and we’ll go from there,” Jones said on Thursday morning, speaking with the media for the first time since undergoing surgery six weeks ago. “The last days I tried to do a little bit with the ball, tried to make some runs. Today I’ll start to play some positions. We’ll go from there.”
Jones has missed eight games since limping off in the first half of New England’s 2-2 draw with the LA Galaxy back in late May, with the Revs going 2-6-0 in that stretch.
It would be understandable if the Revs were tempted to rush Jones back under the circumstances, but head coach Jay Heaps said it’s imperative that the club continues to bring the veteran midfielder – who also missed the first five games of the season with a groin injury – along progressively.
“The most important thing is we’re progressing at the right speed,” Heaps said. “Last week was getting him out on the field and working. Now he’s starting to incorporate back into the group.
“Now it’s getting his confidence back in his body; making sure he can make all the tackles that he likes to make. But in terms of the soccer side of it, he’s there. He can make any pass on the field.”
When Jones has been healthy this season he’s split his time between central midfield and center back, filling in for both Jose Goncalves and Andrew Farrell at various times.
Jones can provide cover on the Revolution’s shorthanded backline when he returns to the field, but ultimately Heaps sees the 33-year-old helping the team most in the middle of the park.
“Ultimately, I like him in the midfield,” Heaps said. “I think he makes us better there.
“But that doesn’t mean we won’t use him if we need him at [center back]. That’s what I love about Jermaine is that he’s [a team player]. He understands. He’s not going to say no to the backline just because he wants to play in midfield. He knows whatever’s best for our team, he’s going to do.”
Jones has repeatedly reiterated that sentiment; that his preference is to play in midfield, but he’ll take up whatever position the team needs him to fill.
Of course, at this point, he’s just happy to be back on the field, period.
“I hate to not be on the field and to play,” Jones said. “I missed the Gold Cup. I missed some games here and it’s always sad. I’m now happy to be back. It’s a little similar to last season; it’s the same time when I [arrived] and I hope that we can have the same presence that I had last season to help the team.”
The parallels to last season are, in fact, striking. Jones debuted with 10 games left in the regular season last year, just as the Revs were coming off a miserable stretch in which they lost nine of 10 games. From there he helped lead them to an 8-1-1 run down the stretch en route to an MLS Cup appearance.
Now Jones is inching toward a return with 12 games remaining on the 2015 schedule, just as the Revs have put an end to a five-game losing streak. And he’s hoping to make a similar impact.
“The same that I did last season,” Jones said when asked how he hopes to help the Revs upon his return. “To show them that I’m here to make the difference and help everybody on the field get better, and when they make mistakes, to help them come in a better way that we don’t lose games, or it’s tough to beat us.
“Last season we did it perfect. We have to believe that we can do it again. I know it will not be easy.”
At the very least, Jones’ mere presence will provide veteran leadership during this weekend’s trip to Chicago, where the Revs will look to snap a six-game road losing streak. And when he’s back on the field, he’ll be able to offer that guidance at all times.
Jones believes that will be sooner rather than later.
“I feel good,” Jones said. “The pain that I had before is away. That’s the biggest part that makes me happy. I already said on social media, I’m ready to go and I want to help the team get back to that MLS Cup final.”
