Jones Sidelined Another 6 Weeks

If you are a Nats fan eagerly awaiting the debut of Jermaine Jones for the USMNT, you'll have to wait a little while longer. Unfortunately for Jones, who recently took advantage of FIFA's rule change that allows players to change national teams so long as they have not played in a competitive senior international game, his surgically repaired leg fracture required another to remove a metal plate that was causing pain.

Jones will be sidelined for another six weeks, so any fans waiting for the Schalke midfielder to suit up for the Yanks will have to wait until 2010. Jones still has his eyes on the World Cup and has aspirations of making Bob Bradley's squad, but for now he still has plenty of rest and healing ahead of him.

Though Jones is certainly a quality player that would add to the USMNT lineup, Nats fans can take solace in the fact that he plays at arguably the team's deepest position, center mid. With Benny Feilhaber, Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Jose Francisco Torres, and a recovering Maurice Edu all capable of playing in the center of the park at the international level, Bob Bradley is not lacking for options. Nevertheless, many will anxiously monitor Jones' progress with hopes that he will recover and be able to contribute in the coming months.