The saga is over. Per a club release, the New England Revolution have signed U.S. National Team midfielder Jermaine Jones. He will be added to the Revs’ roster upon receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and will be one of the team’s designated players.
Jones makes his way to the Revs by way of a "blind draw" that was conducted by MLS. According to reports, the blind draw was a unique method in which the names of the two teams interested in acquired Jones, New England and the Chicago Fire, were each placed into blank envelopes and one was chosen at random, thus determining Jones' destination.
Jones, 32, comes to play in the U.S. after a 14-year career in Europe. Born in Germany and raised in Chicago, Mississippi and Germany, Jones played most of his professional career in Germany with Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen and FC Schalke 04, in addition to stints with England’s Blackburn Rovers and, most recently, Turkey’s Besiktas.
Jones debuted with the U.S. National Team in October 2010 and has earned 46 caps, while scoring three goals. He was one of the United States’ break-out stars in Brazil and played every minute of the United States’ four matches in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The defensive midfielder scored a spectacular goal in the U.S.’ 2-2 draw against Portugal on June 22.
"This is a great opportunity for us to add one of the best players in the United States to our club," said Revolution investor/operator Jonathan Kraft. "We thought Jermaine was the best player for the U.S. in the World Cup and we are excited to welcome him to New England. Robert and I have always said that any major DP signing would need to make an impact, on and off the field, and we believe the addition of Jermaine will do just that. When we learned that he was interested in signing with MLS, we immediately informed the league of our interest. He is a dynamic player and is certain to have a tremendous impact on our team and in our community. We look forward to his many contributions."
"I’m very excited to come to MLS and join the Revolution," Jones said. "New England is an exciting team on the rise, and I believe I can come in and help the team make a push toward MLS Cup. Playing with the U.S. National Team has given me a great connection with the American fans and I’m looking forward to playing in front of them every weekend. I’m ready to get started with the Revs."
Jones will be presented via press conference at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday August 26th.