Cobi Jones may have left the wrong impression.
The phenomenal numbers he posted as the point man in the Los Angeles Galaxy’s explosive attack last season suggested the emergence of a new, improved Cobi, one who offered all the advantages of the old Cobi ù the speed, the abilities to combine and exploit space, the defense-shattering runs ù with a lot more scoring.
That explains some of the disappointment that has accompanied Jones’ current MLS campaign. He had eight goals and eight assists as L.A. captured its third Western Conference regular-season title, respectable figures unless compared with his ’98 output, which is what everybody seems to want to do.
“I’ve been unlucky in certain situations,” says Jones, who struck last year for 19 goals and 13 assists (his 51 points ranks third in MLS history). “I think I hit more posts this year than all the years combined. … It’s a different team [than in 1998], and I have different responsibilities.
“I had eight goals and eight assists. Everyone says that’s such a disappointment because of what I did last year. Obviously, it’s less numbers, but I still ended up being the leading scorer on the Galaxy. And look at how our team did. We were winning, which is the most important thing.”
Numbers can’t depict what Jones provides the Galaxy, but they do not lie. Ask L.A. coach Sigi Schmid, an accountant by trade.
“If you look at Cobi’s goal-scoring numbers, three of the four years in MLS are very comparable, and one year stands out,” Schmid assesses. “His numbers are probably much more reflective this year than [last] year, although I feel he has the capability of scoring more goals than he scored this year.”
Other factors were at work ù increased attention from opponents (Jones led the league in fouls suffered with 80; he’s been fouled 282 times in four seasons, also an MLS high, and the Galaxy complains that referees won’t protect him), niggling injuries (mostly to his feet), L.A.’s early-season troubles ù but Jones has, aside from ’98, never been a potent scorer.
He netted seven goals in each of his first two MLS seasons and has scored only eight in 119 games with the U.S. national team, most of those appearances as a winger. He never scored more than eight goals in a season at UCLA, although his career assist total ù 37 ù still ranks second on the all-time Bruin list.
“I don’t think Cobi is that true goalscorer,” says Schmid, who also was Jones’ coach in Westwood. “He’s someone who through his activity and his speed and running is going to be a threat, is going to open up spaces, but he’s not a goalscorer in the mold of Gary Lineker or Alan Shearer or Gerd Mueller or [Gabriel] Batistuta.”
That was evident last season: Jones benefited from a quick, multipronged Galaxy attack that shredded opposing defenses for 85 goals. Everyone involved enjoyed inflated numbers.
The Galaxy attack was a puzzle, and Jones ù an MVP finalist ù was just one important piece.
Internal strife
By the time defenses caught up with L.A.’s freewheeling game, at season’s end, the Galaxy was beginning to wilt from internal disorder.
“There was a lot of strife between [former coach Octavio Zambrano] and some of the players,” Jones explains, “and it made it very difficult to get stuff done and get a team unity going.”
The problems carried over into the start of ’99, and the Galaxy’s slow start ù just nine points in its first 11 games ù was mirrored by Jones’. After 10 games, he had just one goal and one assist; at season’s midpoint, two goals and three assists.
Carlos Hermosillo’s return from Mexico and Roy Myers’ arrival in a trade from the MetroStars in early June also helped matters, and Jones’ game showed marked improvement.
Again, the numbers bear proof: Through L.A.’s first 16 games, Jones took 30 shots, just 13 on target. In the final 16, Jones put 28 of 32 shots on goal, with six goals and five assists in 13 matches.
“A lot of it had to do with the coaching situation, and the attitudes of myself and the other players,” Jones says. “After Sigi came, things started falling into place. … The team felt better, and things started to happen instinctively rather than thinking about it too much.”
Schmid says he asked Jones to position himself inside, and to make his runs inside-out, rather than hang out on a wing.
“I think he’s a lot more dangerous, a lot more effective when he’s coming from the middle and putting on pressure,” Schmid says. “That way, he’s in contact to our game no matter what side of the field we come out of. When he’s on a wing, then we lose him as we build on [the other] side of the field.”
Cobi’s contribution
If the Galaxy is to win an MLS title ù it needed a victory over Dallas in the decisive Western Conference final encounter Nov. 11 to reach the Nov. 21 title game ù Jones’ contribution will be critical.
And it has nothing to do with goals, a good thing: Jones has scored just once, in this year’s playoff opener against Colorado, with two assists in four postseasons.
“People always ask, ‘Is it the pressure? Are they tightening up?'” Schmid says about top athletes’ playoff struggles. “In Cobi’s situation, everyone in the playoffs plays better defense, tightens up, concentrates on him more. He opens things up for others.”
It happened twice against Colorado, in which quick-footed Rapids defender Jason Bent matched Jones step for step. Jones’ runs opened space that led to goals by Ezra Hendrickson in the opener and Danny Pena in the series’ second game.
He used his explosiveness to great effect against Dallas, in the shootout loss that evened the conference final at a game apiece. Jones stood up defender Jorge Rodriguez, then outsprinted him to the end line, sending in a sweet cross Hermosillo headed home.
“All the teams I’ve ever coached,” Schmid says, “I think the goalscoring gets divided. If you a have a person like Carlos who can finish in the box, I think that it’s important to get him the ball so he can get the opportunity to finish. That’s more or less his job.
“Cobi is an in-betweener. He’s going to score goals, but he’s somebody I expect to set up goals. He’ll also set up goals often times that don’t get reflected in the stat sheet. He’s making the run that’s dragging one or two players with him, or he’s making the run and laying [the ball] back for someone else. That’s what his role is.”
He is, again, just a piece of a puzzle, a part of a whole.
“One of the things that makes our attack work is that our players all have different qualities,” Schmid says. “Cobi has great speed. Carlos has size and the ability to hold the ball. Roy is an incredible dribbler. Clint [Mathis] has very quick feet and also is a very good passer and striker of the ball. And then [Mauricio Cienfuegos] is the best passer of the group.”
And the responsibility for scoring is shared.
“If you’re relying on just one or two [goalscorers],” Schmid says, “that’s too predictable for the opponent.”
by Soccer America senior editor Scott French