If the January U.S. Men\u2019s National Team camp was all about wins, adding Jermaine Jones might have been the correct decision. That has never been the case.<\/p>\n
The January camps, instead, have always been about giving deserving, often overlooked, players in their offseason a chance to impress while their more established European colleagues are in the midst of their season. It\u2019s a quirk unique to the U.S. National team because of Major League Soccer\u2019s summer schedule.<\/p>\n
For a player like former New England Revolution midfielder Jeff Larentowicz, who has been one of the best and most consistent defensive midfielders in MLS, it\u2019s a chance to finally get a real look and possibly push himself up in the pecking order. For current Revolution star Benny Feilhaber, who was part of the 2010 World Cup squad, it\u2019s a chance to finally get a look under new head coach Jurgen Klinsmann and re-establish his role on the team.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what these camps have been and should be about.<\/p>\n
Where does Jones fit in? The German-American has been a regular for the U.S. with 14 appearances out of a possible 20 in the past 15 months and has seemingly \u2013 and somewhat puzzlingly \u2013 established his place on the team despite inconsistent and often underwhelming performances.<\/p>\n
In terms of national team standing, Jones has little to gain. Instead, his presence will only take away opportunities for other players \u2013 like Feilhaber and Larentowicz \u2013 who need the chance to impress.<\/p>\n
Under normal circumstances, Jones wouldn\u2019t even be considered for the January camp. His German Club team, FC Schalke 04, is in midseason.<\/p>\n
So why exactly did Jones get an all-expenses paid trip to Los Angeles? This video provides the answer:<\/p>\n