Major League Soccer Talk » Cobi Jones

Work Permit Rules Continue to Shun Americans

Kartik Krishnaiyer — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 19:19:20 +0000

When is an "A" international not an "A" international? When the UK home office deems it not to be. Recall the plight of Cobi Jones one of the most decorated and accomplished players in the history of American Soccer. In 1995 while playing for Coventry City of the Premiership his work permit renewal was denied by the UK home office based on many of his caps with the US being deemed "non-competitive matches." Several years later, Brad Friedel ran into work permit trouble and had to play in Turkey for a season. Next up was DaMarcus Beasley: in 2003 despite having started three games in the previous World Cup where the US made the Quarterfinals, Beasley was denied a UK work permit for a move to Southampton. The failure to secure a work permit was a good thing it turns out because Beasley ended up on a club with renowned reputation for player development and Champions League football to boot: that club was PSV Eindhoven. Bobby Convey tried the same year to move from DC United to Spurs but was also shot down, while Carlos Bocanegra with fewer caps and fewer starts for the National Team was awarded a work permit on appeal to play for Fulham. Why did Beasley and Convey get turned down while Bocanegra was accepted? Ask the U.K. home office?

Now we come to the case of Brad Guzan, who has emerged as the #2 US goalkeeper ahead of two players, Kasey Keller and Marcus Hahnemann with significant playing experience in England. By any reasonable standard Guzan would enhance the Premier League. He is a top keeper, in a league that regardless of playing standard has produced some top flight goalkeepers. Former and current American national MLS keepers Mike Amman, Ian Feuer, Jurgen Sommer, Adin Brown, Troy Perkins, Brad Friedel, Marcus Hahnemann, Zach Thornton, Joe Cannon and a few others that escape me currently have all played and excelled in many cases on European club sides. Sommer, the current US National Team Goalkeeper coach was so well thought of in England that even as a backup for New England (behind Adin Brown) late in his career he was loaned to Bolton on request of Sam Allardyce for one match, an FA cup tie against Blackburn. Guzan will without a doubt be a top class keeper, perhaps one of the best keeper a nation known for producing good goal keepers ever produces. Guzan has been called into every single US camp since this past May and while he doesn't start every match due to Tim Howard's status, he is without a doubt one of the leading two or three options for a nation known for producing outstanding keepers. So why doesn't the UK Home Office and Work Permit panel relent? Could it be the possible embarrassment of Guzan potentially beating out the new England #1 Scott Carson for the Aston Villa job? Or is this simply another example of how the UK Work Permit rules don't fully understand the world of football, especially nations that play friendlies to deepen the player pool and enter certain tournaments with the same aim in mind. Should the US be as England has been in recent years, picking the same 23 players for every friendly and competitive match and not working to deepen its pool and improve it overall national team at every level?

Let me also mention this issue warrants a mention of Taylor Twellman. For the first time in his career, Twellman has received enough US National team action recently to recieve a work permit. This window was likely to be Twellman's only chance to follow his ambition to play in England. But New England and MLS refuse to sell Twellman to a Championship (2nd division) side. By doing so, the Revolution and MLS are being as shortsighted and unfair as the UK Home Office, and what is worse they have received so much from Twellman in the way of performance and loyalty.

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Yallop Proving His Quality

Kartik Krishnaiyer — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 14:46:00 +0000

Three weeks ago many people including here on this site speculated aloud as to Frank Yallop’s coaching future and whether or not he’d be able to motivate his last place Los Angeles Galaxy team for the remained of the MLS season.

Well guess what? Yallop and the Galaxy are on a roll, having won four games in a row and they are doing it Yallop’s way. Let’s look at the contributions of certain players who have found form at the right time.

Joe Cannon

Many including myself questioned the decision to bring in Cannon. The last month he has been unbeatable except by the best strikers and right now is best goalkeeper in MLS.

Kevin Harmse

The Canadian international is giving gritty performances and serving an important function as a ball winner.

Chris Klein

He’s found the Fountain of Youth and is making some spectacular runs down the flank.

Cobi Jones

Simply put, Jones is still at 37 the Galaxy’s most important player. He should reconsider his retirement.

Gavin Glinton

The former Galaxy player who spent a long period in the USL looked woeful much of the year and I wondered aloud why he was even in MLS. Now, Glinton is a specialist coming off the bench late in matches providing the Galaxy with great runs and even better finishing.

Yallop now is comfortable with the personnel assembled by Alexi Lalas and is getting results. It would be a mistake to re-introduce David Beckham to this team with it playing so well and would be an even bigger mistake to sit either Klein or Jones for Beckham. We’ll learn in the near future whether the football people or marketing people are in fact running the Galaxy.

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Yallop Proving He’s a First Class Coach

Kartik Krishnaiyer — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 14:37:00 +0000

Three weeks ago many people including here on this site speculated aloud as to Frank Yallop's coaching future and whether or not he'd be able to motivate his last place Los Angeles Galaxy team for the remained of the MLS season.

Well guess what? Yallop and the Galaxy are on a roll, having won four games in a row and they are doing it Yallop's way. Let's look at the contributions of certain players who have found form at the right time.

Joe Cannon

Many including myself questioned the decision to bring in Cannon. The last month he has been unbeatable except by the best strikers and right now is best goalkeeper in MLS.

Kevin Harmse

The Canadian international is giving gritty performances and serving an important function as a ball winner.

Chris Klein

He's found the Fountain of Youth and is making some spectacular runs down the flank.

Cobi Jones

Simply put, Jones is still at 37 the Galaxy's most important player. He should reconsider his retirement.

Gavin Glinton

Yallop now is comfortable with the personnel assembled by Alexi Lalas and is getting results. It would be a mistake to re-introduce David Beckham to this team with it playing so well and would be an even bigger mistake to sit either Klein or Jones for Beckham. We'll learn in the near future whether the football people or marketing people are in fact running the Galaxy.

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Cobi Jones: American Soccer Icon

Kartik Krishnaiyer — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 15:00:00 +0000

This past Monday, Cobi Jones perhaps the most recognizable American player of his generation announced this MLS season will be his last. Many non soccer fans will remember Cobi Jones for his dreadlocks, but those of us that love the great game will remember his career as one of the most significant in the history of US Soccer.

Cobi Jones is one of the most capped players in the history of International Football. His 164 caps are the most in the history of the US National Team, and Jones inspired play is part of what created such a tense and enjoyable rivalry with Mexico, our neighbors to the South. Jones was a pioneer for African-American players becoming one of the first regular African-American players with the National Team. (Desmond Armstrong was the first regular African-American player but he played at a time when the national team got less attention and soccer was hardly ever on TV.) The upsurge in African-Americans participating in youth leagues and making their way into MLS and USL can be largely attributed to Jones' impact.

Jones played for legendary club Vasco De Gama in Brazil, and Coventry City of the EPL before MLS began play in 1996. Jones was an original member of the Los Angeles Galaxy and is the only player who today remains with his original MLS club for the first season. While others like Eric Wynalda, Joe Max Moore and Brian McBride scored the goals for the US National Team, so much of the success enjoyed by both Steve Sampson in Copa America 1995 and WC Qualifying for 1998 and by Bruce Arena in the glorious 1999 to 2002 period owed itself to Jones hard work on the flanks and his scrappy, determined play.

No American player irritated the rival Mexican national team more than Jones. When Cobi Jones entered the 2002 World Cup Quarterfinal match versus Mexico with the US leading 1-0, Jones hustle play and comfort with the ball at his feet clinched the game and killed Mexico's spirit. From his entrance forward Mexico seemed more determined to rough Jones up than to score an equalizer that would have sent the game to extra time.

Jones has made similar impact in Major League Soccer, leading the LA Galaxy to two MLS Cup titles and several other accolades. Cobi Jones, an American pioneer will go out the way he deserves to: playing alongside one of the world greats, David Beckham at the end of the 2007 MLS campaign.

Jones will no doubt go into a broadcasting career. His work for Fox Soccer Channel during Germany 2006 was solid, which probably disqualifies him from joining ESPN's MLS broadcasts which consists largely of fluff and acts as a glorified infomercial for the league. Wherever Jones lands, he will be an asset to the growing game stateside.

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