The start of the Major League Soccer season for Jermaine Jones now appears to be a question mark.
Following a full 90 minutes against Panama for the USMNT, Jones posted a video on his Instagram page saying he will undergo surgery tomorrow and will be “out for a couple of weeks.”
The New England Revolution confirmed the surgery will be for a sports hernia, and it’s unknown when the injury occurred. The MLSSoccer.com release explained that sometimes sports hernias can go unnoticed, or they can be misdiagnosed as groin strains, an injury which Jones supposedly suffered while in Turkey.
Jones will have his surgery in Southern California near his family.
http://instagram.com/p/y41rl-qGde/?modal=true
With the Revs set to open the season on March 8 against the Supporter’s Shield holders Seattle Sounders away from home, the Jones’ status for that date is definitely in question. A conservative athlete may see himself on the sidelines for as many as 6-8 weeks for such an injury, but the professional athlete recovery time is usually somewhere in the 2-4 week range, though it could be shorter or longer depending on the full extent of the problem.
The timing and announcement of the injury so soon after the USMNT match was complete almost seems to suggest it was a preexisting condition, and that doctors were aware of its existence, which would bring into serious question why Jurgen Klinsmann would have used Jones for a full 90 minutes in a meaningless game which could have seen a younger player like Matt Hedges get the time. It also could have been taken care of at an earlier date to get him ready for the start of the MLS season, had it been known ahead of time. However, the thought that Klinsmann would have forced Jones to play through such an injury seems a bit far-fetched and it’s likely to have cropped up after the match, as Jones appeared fully fit throughout the contest.