Cobi Jones

Lore & Background

Jones grew up in Southern California and played soccer with AYSO starting at age 5 in Westlake Village, California. After graduating from Westlake High School, he made the UCLA soccer team as a non-scholarship player. While at UCLA, he was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha. He started his professional career in England with Premier League club Coventry City, before playing for Brazilian side Vasco da Gama. He returned to the U.S. to join the LA Galaxy in 1996, spending 11 seasons with the club. Jones is the all-time leader in caps for the United States national team, with 164 caps as of the end of 2004, scoring 15 goals. He played in the 1994, 1998, and 2002 FIFA World Cups, and represented his country at the 1992 Summer Olympics. He was named to the best XI at the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup and won the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup with the national team. After retirement, he served as an assistant coach with the LA Galaxy for two seasons.

In Their Own Story

The stadium in San Jose was half-full, the afternoon sun cutting long shadows across the grass. Cobi stood over the free kick, twenty-five yards out, the ball balanced on a small mound of turf. He could feel the weight of the season in his calves, the ache in his left knee that never quite went away. He took two steps back, then one more. The wall of defenders shifted, uncertain. He struck it with the inside of his left foot, and the ball rose, curved, and kissed the underside of the crossbar before dropping just inside the line. The net rippled. For a moment, the half-empty stands roared as if the whole city had materialized out of the California heat. Cobi didn't celebrate. He just nodded, wiped the grass from his shorts, and jogged back to the center circle, already scanning for the next pass, the next play, the next small act of magic he could offer a country still learning to believe its midfielders could be artists.

Reader's Guide

Jones was a midfielder. His best year with the Galaxy came in 1998, when he was second in MLS with 51 points (19 goals and 13 assists), was named to the MLS Best XI, and was also named U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year. He announced his retirement on March 19, 2007, effective after the season. He later served as an assistant coach with the Galaxy under Ruud Gullit, and after Gullit's resignation, served as interim head coach until Bruce Arena was hired. In January 2011, he left the Galaxy to serve as associate director of soccer with the New York Cosmos through 2012.

Did You Know?

• Jones hosted the health show Mega-Dose on MTV during the 1990s.
• He earned the nickname 'Escobillón' from an Argentine commentator due to his bleached dreadlock hairstyle and the similarity of his name to the Spanish word for 'swab'.
• Jones is part of the ownership group of Angel City FC of the National Women's Soccer League.
• He was selected for induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame on March 11, 2011, in his first year of eligibility.

From England and Brazil to an MLS Dynasty

Jones launched his professional career in 1994, signing with Coventry City in England's Premier League for a single season after the World Cup was hosted on American soil. He subsequently trained with 1. FC Köln in Germany's Bundesliga and then joined Vasco da Gama in Brazil following standout performances at the 1995 Copa America. Yet his Brazilian stint lasted only a handful of months before he committed to the brand-new Los Angeles Galaxy for MLS's 1996 inaugural campaign. That choice became the defining arc of his playing life. Jones spent eleven full seasons with the Galaxy, ultimately becoming the final player in the league's history to stay with his original franchise from its founding. His peak arrived in 1998, when he posted 51 points from 19 goals and 13 assists to rank second in the league, earned MLS Best XI honors, and was named U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year. Over his tenure he added two MLS Cups, two Supporters' Shields, and multiple Western Conference titles before announcing his retirement on March 19, 2007.

A Record-Breaking International Career and a Latin American Nickname

Jones holds the all-time United States record for national team appearances, amassing 164 caps and 15 goals through the end of 2004. He suited up for three consecutive FIFA World Cups in 1994, 1998, and 2002, and also represented the country at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. His international trophy cabinet includes the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup title and a best XI selection at the 2000 edition of that tournament. Perhaps no episode illustrated his cross-border appeal better than the 1995 Copa America, where an Argentine broadcaster playfully dubbed him "Escobillón"—Spanish for "swab"—because his bleached dreadlocks and the phonetic rhythm of his name echoed the word. The nickname stuck and made him a household name across Latin America, extending his recognition far beyond the English-speaking soccer world and cementing his status as one of the most internationally visible American players of his generation.

Coaching, Commentary, and a Versatile Media Career

After retiring, Jones moved onto the Galaxy sideline as assistant coach under Ruud Gullit in November 2007. When Gullit resigned in August 2008, Jones assumed the interim head coach role until Bruce Arena was hired. He departed the Galaxy in January 2011 to serve as associate director of soccer with the New York Cosmos, a position he held through 2012. Off the field, Jones cultivated a broad broadcasting portfolio. He currently analyzes matches for MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and has appeared on Time Warner Cable SportsNet, Fox Sports, BeIN Sports, and the Pac-12 Network. He also hosts the Totally Football Show: American Edition. In a surprising earlier chapter, during the 1990s he fronted the MTV health program Mega-Dose, demonstrating a natural comfort in front of a camera that would later underpin his long-running soccer commentary and hosting career across multiple networks and platforms.

Roots in Southern California and a Lasting Legacy

Jones grew up in the Westlake Village area of Southern California, kicking a ball with AYSO from the age of five and later graduating from Westlake High School. At UCLA he earned a spot on the soccer squad without a scholarship and went on to become one of the program's most accomplished graduates, capturing the 1990 NCAA Division I championship and College Cup. He was also a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. In 2009 he married Kim Reese, a music consultant and former New Line Cinema executive, in a ceremony at the Four Seasons Resort Aviara in Carlsbad; the couple has two sons, Cayden and Cai. His contributions to the sport were formally recognized in March 2011 when he was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Today he also participates in the ownership group of Angel City FC in the NWSL, continuing to invest in the growth of American soccer well beyond his own playing days.

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