Jermaine Jones could miss next set of USMNT World Cup qualifiers with knee injury

One of the biggest storylines surrounding the United States men’s national team after their latest World Cup qualifying results in March was the less than stellar play of an aging Jermaine Jones. The 35-year-old’s play with the LA Galaxy this season hasn’t improved much since then as the club has struggled mightily. Questions about Jones’ continued participation with the national team have cropped up, but they may have answered themselves temporarily.

Jones left the Galaxy’s 2-2 draw with the Chicago Fire on Saturday night and has been ruled out for up to four weeks with an MCL sprain.

Barring an accelerated timeline for his recovery, this would likely rule him out for the next two World Cup qualifiers against Trinidad & Tobago (June 8) and Mexico (June 11). This would leave a hole open in the midfield for someone else to fill. Candidates for that spot next to Michael Bradley in the midfield could include Kellyn Acosta, Dax McCarty, and Alejandro Bedoya just to name a few.

Jermaine Jones has 69 international caps to his name and has performed at a very high level at several high profile tournaments in his career. However, there are emerging concerns that we’ve reached the expiration date of his international career, at least with him being a focal point of every important lineup.

What say you? Is this just a bump in the road for JJ? Or have we seen the last of him as a major USMNT contributor?