FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Jermaine Jones’ potential availability for Saturday afternoon’s meeting with Columbus Crew SC will be determined by how the midfielder progresses throughout the week, according to New England Revolution head coach Jay Heaps.
Jones, who’s in the final stages of recovery from sports hernia surgery, traveled to Colorado for this past weekend’s win over the Rapids but was not part of the 18-man game day roster.
“We’re going to see how this week goes,” said Heaps. “He had an excellent week last week leading up to the (Colorado) game and was close to being fit, but not quite there.
“We’ll see how the next couple days go in terms of how many minutes (he can play) or if he’s in the squad. It’s important just to see these next couple days.”
During postgame access in Colorado Heaps said that if Jones continued to progress at the expected rate, he’d be an option against Crew SC, though to what extent is to be determined. Jones has returned to full training but likely lacks full match fitness after missing several weeks of action.
Whenever it is that Jones does return, there’s no question he’ll provide an even further boost to a Revolution team already hitting their stride with a pair of wins and a draw in the past three games.
“There’s a lot of stuff that he brings that you can’t really even say; it’s just intangibles,” said Scott Caldwell, while also noting Jones’ ability on the ball and tireless work ethic. “He helps the team just win games, as you saw last year, so we’re looking forward to having him back.”
Eventually Heaps will be flush with options in central midfield, particularly when Daigo Kobayashi is back in the mix. The veteran playmaker missed the trip to Colorado with a left hamstring strain – snapping a string of 38 consecutive regular-season appearances since joining the Revs – and, like Jones, his progress will be evaluated throughout the course of the week.
“Disappointing to lose [Daigo] last week, but it was the right call to leave him behind,” said Heaps. “He’s had a good couple days of rehab and we’re looking to see what we’re going to get out of him this week.”
There’s less concern for captain and center back Jose Goncalves, who was replaced by Kevin Alston in the 61st minute at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. It was simply a case of Goncalves feeling a bit of tightness in his left calf and getting himself the proper treatment before it developed into a real issue.
“We lost Jose halfway through the second half and thank goodness, because he didn’t fully injure himself,” Heaps revealed on Tuesday morning. “It was just kind of a precautionary move.”
