FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – With each passing game, the New England Revolution are discovering that there may be a price for having a high-profile player: Sometimes that player appears to be wearing a target.
A self-professed physical player himself, Jermaine Jones has been limited to just one half of play in each of the last two games due to a foot injury suffered versus Montreal two weeks ago.
Following that match, Jones expressed frustration over what he felt was an episode of direct targeting by the opposition. And after this past Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Columbus, where he subbed on for the second half, his coach felt there was even more of that going on.
“Make no mistake, they knew that he was carrying a foot injury and they tried to kick it,” Jay Heaps said prior to the Revs' Wednesday morning training session.
Being a high-intensity player, Jones can certainly find himself in the middle of a boiling pot, as was evident when Tony Tchani was jawing and pointing in his direction after getting tied up with Wil Trapp last Saturday.
The Revs midfielder does not shy away from physical play in the least bit, so the question of him seeking preferential treatment would appear to be moot.
The New England coaching staff just want to ensure their star player’s safety on the pitch.
“I feel this and I see it on tape because I watch a lot of film,” said Heaps. “They’re trying to be aggressive on him and they’re trying to instigate him. For me, the problem in that situation is, the referee has just got to manage it a little bit better.”
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Jones, who was most vocal following the original injury to his left foot, did not speak following the loss to the Crew on Saturday and was unavailable on Wednesday as he received treatment.
Last week he was unable to train earlier in the week, but returned and looked up to par before the team left for Columbus.
With a shorter turnaround for Friday's match at Sporting Kansas City (8 pm ET, NBCSN/NBCSports.com), Jones trained with the team earlier in the week. His status for Friday’s game was still unknown prior to the team’s scheduled departure for Kansas City on Wednesday afternoon.
