Cobi Jones
Jones (left) with Ruud Gullit.
Personal information
Full name	Cobi N'Gai Jones
Date of birth	June 16, 1970 (age 39)
Place of birth	Detroit, MI, United States
Height	1.69m (5ft 7in)
Playing position	Midfielder
Youth career
1988–1991	UCLA
Senior career1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1994–1995 1995-1996 1996–2007	Coventry City Vasco da Gama Los Angeles Galaxy	024 0(2) 24 (5) 305 (70)
National team2
1992–2004	United States	164 (15)
Teams managed
2008–	Los Angeles Galaxy (Assistant Coach)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 3 June, 2007. 2 National team caps and goals correct as of 3 December, 2006. * Appearances (Goals)

Cobi N'Gai Jones (born June 16, 1970 in Detroit, Michigan) is a former American soccer player who is currently an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer, whom he has been involved with as a player and coach since the team's inaugural season in 1996. Jones was one of a significant group of American national team stars who returned from overseas to aid the new American soccer league, coming home after spending half a season at Brazilian club Vasco da Gama. He is also the all-time leader in caps for the United States National Team.

[edit] Career

[edit] Early career

After graduating from Westlake High School, Jones emerged as a talented player in college, making the prestigious UCLA soccer team as a non-scholarship player, but ultimately becoming one of its most successful soccer-playing graduates. While attending UCLA, Jones was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha, an international fraternity. ^[1]

[edit] Overseas

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

[edit] Los Angeles Galaxy

Jones's best year with the Galaxy came in 1998, where he was 2nd 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. Jones played his last game with the Galaxy on October 21, 2007. The club retired his number 13 making it the first number retired in MLS history. Jones finished his Galaxy career with 306 appearances and 70 goals, both club records.

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' former U.S. National Team head coach Bruce Arena.

[edit] Personal Life

On September 12, 2009 Jones wed longtime girlfriend, 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 were married at the Four Seasons Resort Aviara in Carlsbad, California.^[2]

[edit] International career

Jones is currently the all-time leader of the United States men's national team 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, where he is known by the nickname "El escobillón" ("The swab", "He is Cobi Jones").

[edit] Honors

• CONCACAF Champions' Cup:
  • Winner (1): 2000
  • Runner-up (1): 1997

• MLS Cup:
  • Winner (2): 2002, 2005
  • Runner-up (3): 1996, 1999, 2001

• MLS Supporters' Shield:
  • Winner (2): 1998, 2002
  • Runner-up (2): 1996, 1999

• U.S. Open Cup:
  • Winner (2): 2001, 2005
  • Runner-up (2): 2002, 2006

[edit] Career statistics

[1] [2]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Cobi Jones career stats at Soccerbase
• Cobi Jones Biography at Los Angeles Galaxy official site (English)

United States Squad v • d • e United States squad – 1992 Summer Olympics 1 Friedel • 2 Rast • 3 Lalas • 4 Burns • 5 Imler • 6 Brose • 7 Washington • 8 Lapper • 9 Snow • 10 Reyna • 11 Allnutt • 12 Dayak • 13 Moore • 14 Jones • 15 Ibsen • 16 Lagos • 17 Huwiler • 18 Feuer • 19 Henderson • 20 Onalfo • Coach: Osiander v • d • e United States squad – 1992 King Fahd Cup 1 Meola • 2 Michallik • 3 Lapper • 4 Murray • 5 – • 6 Harkes • 7 Pérez • 8 Kinnear • 9 Ramos • 10 Vermes • 11 Wynalda • 12 Harbor • 13 Jones • 14 Quinn • 15 DeBrito • 17 Balboa • 18 Dodd • 19 Henderson • 20 Caligiuri • 21 Clavijo • 22 Wegerle • Coach: Milutinović v • d • e United States squad – 1994 FIFA World Cup 1 Meola • 2 Lapper • 3 Burns • 4 Kooiman • 5 Dooley • 6 Harkes • 7 Pérez • 8 Stewart • 9 Ramos • 10 Wegerle • 11 Wynalda • 12 Sommer • 13 Jones • 14 Klopas • 15 Moore • 16 Sorber • 17 Balboa • 18 Friedel • 19 Reyna • 20 Caligiuri • 21 Clavijo • 22 Lalas • Coach: Milutinović v • d • e United States squad – 1998 FIFA World Cup 1 Friedel • 2 Hejduk • 3 Pope • 4 Burns • 5 Dooley • 6 Regis • 7 Wegerle • 8 Stewart • 9 Moore • 10 Ramos • 11 Wynalda • 12 Agoos • 13 Jones • 14 Preki • 15 Deering • 16 Sommer • 17 Balboa • 18 Keller • 19 Maisonneuve • 20 McBride • 21 Reyna • 22 Lalas • Coach: Sampson v • d • e United States squad – 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup Third Place 1 Friedel • 2 Hejduk • 3 Berhalter • 4 Fraser • 5 Brown • 6 Harkes • 7 Lewis • 8 Stewart • 9 Moore • 10 Kirovski • 11 Bravo • 12 Agoos • 13 Jones • 14 McKeon • 15 Williams • 16 Llamosa • 17 Balboa • 18 Keller • 19 Olsen • 20 McBride • Coach: Arena v • d • e United States squad – 2002 FIFA World Cup 1 Friedel • 2 Hejduk • 3 Berhalter • 4 Mastroeni • 5 O'Brien • 6 Regis • 7 Lewis • 8 Stewart • 9 Moore • 10 Reyna • 11 Mathis • 12 Agoos • 13 Jones • 14 Cherundolo • 15 Wolff • 16 Llamosa • 17 Beasley • 18 Keller • 19 Meola • 20 McBride • 21 Donovan • 22 Sanneh • 23 Pope • Coach: Arena