CARSON, Calif. (AP) U.S. national team defender Jermaine Jones is frustrated and angry about a six-game suspension that he says is making it tough to leave Major League Soccer.
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Jones voiced his displeasure Thursday before the U.S. team’s training ahead of two upcoming friendlies.
Jones is out of contract after spending last season with the New England Revolution, and he says his latest MLS contract offer is “a joke.”
He wants to return to his native Germany, but the veteran was given a six-game suspension by MLS for touching referee Matt Geiger (editor’s note: watch the incident below, and decide for yourself) late in a playoff game last October.
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FIFA regulations require suspensions to be applied across leagues. That means Jones would have to miss six games in Germany, where clubs are wary of him because their regular season is already half-over.