Jermaine Jones to Miss 4-6 Weeks after Undergoing Successful Surgery

The New England Revolution will likely start the season without Jermaine Jones as the Designated Player will miss 4-6 weeks to recover from sports hernia surgery, an operation successfully performed this afternoon at the Institute for Sports Science, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Santa Monica, Calif.

Jones is set to begin his first full season as the member of the Revolution. The US international has been invaluable since joining the Revs last summer as the team went 11-2-2 when he made an appearance. With Jones marshaling the midfield, New England made it to the MLS Cup Final before bowing out to the LA Galaxy. Jones' contributions were recognized by MLS as he was the runner-up for the league's Newcomer of the Year award.

Most recently, Jones was with the US Men's National Team, going the distance in friendlies against Chile and Panama. Jones earned his 50th cap on Sunday in a winning effort against Panama.

With just over three weeks until the 2015 season kicks off, head coach Jay Heaps will have time to find a stand-in for Jones. Andy Dorman is the front-runner as the experienced Welshman has manned the defensive midfield spot before. Other options come in the form of Daigo Kobyashi and Andrew Farrell.

The Revs are scheduled to open their 2015 campaign with an away trip to the Seattle Sounders on Mar. 8. It will be an interesting fixture as both teams will likely be missing key midfield components. Like Jones, Osvaldo Alonso is expected to be sidelined for the start of the MLS season.