Jermaine Jones

Did You Know?

• Jones was born in Frankfurt and grew up in the city district of Bonames.
• As a child, he lived in Chicago, Illinois and Greenwood, Mississippi before his parents divorced and he returned to Germany with his mother.
• In October 2024, Jones was suspended by the USL for the remainder of the 2024 season after an independent investigation revealed he had harassed and threatened his players on multiple occasions.

Club career

Jones began his youth career at SV Bonames and moved to FV Bad Vilbel in 1994 at age 12. In 1995, he was recruited by Eintracht Frankfurt's academy, spending five years there before appearing for the Eintracht Frankfurt II team in the 2000–01 season, making 25 appearances and scoring eight goals. He stepped up to the main squad in 2001, making 46 appearances over two seasons (2001–2003) and scoring seven goals while primarily playing as a central defensive midfielder.

His form led to a transfer to Bayer Leverkusen, but first-team chances were scarce, so he played most of the 2004–05 Bundesliga season for Bayer Leverkusen II. He re-signed for Eintracht Frankfurt on loan barely six months after joining Leverkusen, making fourteen appearances and scoring three goals. Before the 2005–06 season, he signed a permanent deal with Eintracht Frankfurt. That season, he suffered a serious leg injury requiring surgery, keeping him out for eight months; he returned only in the first half of the last game.

Over the next two seasons, he shed his 'teen idol' image, established himself as a quality player, and became captain. In March 2007, he announced on the official Eintracht bulletin board that he would not extend his expiring contract, enraging many supporters after he canceled a contract negotiation with chairman Heribert Bruchhagen. He joined Schalke 04, where his three seasons were mixed; injuries, including a muscular hairline crack, kept him out for most of the 2009–10 season, though he played 70 games in three seasons.

At the start of the 2010–11 season, after a falling out with team manager Felix Magath, he was sent to train with the reserves and made available for transfer.

International career

Jermaine Jones first made a name for himself with Eintracht Frankfurt, where he earned a spot in the squad, became a German Under-21 international, and enjoyed a short stint as a fan favorite. He appeared in four matches for Germany’s U-21 side, but his chances with the senior team were limited to a few friendlies featuring mostly reserve players. By June 2009, it was clear that Germany’s head coach, Joachim Löw, had no place for him in the current setup, so Jones announced he would make himself available for the United States.

A new FIFA rule allowed players to switch national teams if they hadn’t played in an official senior match, even if they had youth-level caps. Jones qualified because he held both German and American citizenship. FIFA gave him the green light to join the U.S. national team on October 20, 2009. He first linked up with coach Bob Bradley and the squad during a March 2010 training camp, and according to Tim Howard, he fit in “really well.”

However, an injury kept him from recovering in time for the 2010 World Cup. He was called up for an August 10 friendly against Brazil, but pulled out the next day due to lingering fitness issues. Later that October, he made the roster for friendlies against Poland and Colombia, and in his debut against Poland, he set up Jozy Altidore for the opening goal in the 13th minute. Jones scored his first international goal on June 19, 2011, against Jamaica in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

He captained the team in a 1–0 friendly win over Venezuela on January 21, 2012, and netted his second international goal in a 5–1 victory over Scotland on May 26, 2012. His FIFA World Cup debut came on June 16, 2014, when he started and played the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 win over Ghana. In the next group match, with the U.S. trailing Portugal 1–0, he curled in an equalizer from 25 yards out, resulting in a 2–2 draw. The U.S. lost 1–0 to his native Germany but still advanced to the round of 16, where Belgium eliminated them 2–1.

Personal life

Jones married Sarah Gerthe in 2007; they have five children. In early 2019, Gerthe filed a restraining order against Jones, claiming he followed her and sent 'inappropriate, antagonistic and degrading messages.' The couple filed for divorce in July 2019. In 2018, actor David Charvet filed a restraining order against Jones, alleging that Jones stalked him and sent threatening text messages. Jones is a good friend of former player and former manager of the Germany women's national team Steffi Jones, who is also a German-American dual national; they both played for SV Bonames at different times but are not related.