The legendary former U.S. soccer star joined Hudl for a live Q&A, where he dished on his playing career and its lessons for culture building, player development and coaching.
Jones on Building Culture
11:00 — The best cultures of his playing career
Jones called Schalke 04, where he played with stars like Raul, the best atmosphere and team chemistry of his well-traveled career. He explains why, and also dished on his first taste of Champions League action facing the iconic “Galacticos” of Real Madrid.
14:25 — Is it the player or the coach that creates the culture?
As you go higher and work with more talented players, Jones notes, the trickier it gets keeping everybody on the same page.
Jones on Training
16:10 — The mental side of training
While he doesn’t do mental training “at all”, Jones knows it’s valuable to players — as long as they start at a young age.
18:15 — “Mental training from the streets”
Jones talks about his upbringing in the Bonames district of Frankfurt, Germany, and its influence on his development.
22:20 — No cones to work with. Just the streets.
With such an overwhelming amount of at-home training videos so readily available at your fingertips, Jones was asked what he did in his spare time growing up. He recalls his experiences playing in the streets, without any fancy equipment.
27:00 — Differences going from Bundesliga to the English Premier League to MLS.
The most noticeable difference Jones noticed when he arrived on loan to Blackburn Rovers? The speed of the game in England, perpetuated by the coaching styles of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp. As for MLS? Nothing against the league, he says, but it was just easier.
Jones on Coaching
32:40 — How Jones’ playing experience shaped his coaching career
Jones dishes on lessons from playing for coaching greats like Felix Magath, Joachim Low, Bob Bradley and Jurgen Klinsmann, and some tactics he’s borrowed from his friend Jurgen Klopp.
36:50 — Favorite midfielders? The gritty ones.
Asked about whether he’d want to coach midfielders to play the same way he did, Jones said he’d prefer to look for someone to be “the guy who makes the dirty work.”
41:45 — Criticisms of the US Soccer coaching system
As someone who’s held coaching licenses in both Europe and the US, Jones is critical of the American approach, which he feels is forcing only one style of play. He also says that “all the drama” around youth soccer “makes no sense.”
51:00 — Advice for youth: Find out who you are
Jones was asked what youth athletes can be doing at this time to improve? Have passion for the game, he said, try to learn what kinds of styles are out there, and “don’t try to imitate Cristiano [Ronaldo] because Cristiano is a different person.”
54:20 — What Jones would change about MLS
While he says MLS Commissioner Don Garber is “amazing”, Jones says that a lack of relegation and promotion is hindering the league’s ability to get better.