Cobi Jones is a former UCLA midfielder who played for the men’s soccer team from 1988 to 1991. Initially a walk-on, Jones led the team to a national championship in 1990 and went on to play for the L.A. Galaxy from 1996 to 2007. He is the all-time record holder in international appearances for the U.S. Men’s National Team with 164 caps from 1992 to 2004. After retiring from professional soccer, Jones began his career as a soccer commentator for Fox Sports and the Pac-12 Network. Daily Bruin Sports caught up with Jones after the UCLA-Washington game Sunday evening.
Daily Bruin: How does it feel to be able to still be involved with soccer after finishing your professional career?
Cobi Jones: It’s a great opportunity because soccer’s a sport that’s given so much to me – college, my work, my life. My passion for the sport doesn’t diminish just because I don’t play professionally anymore. Commentating at the college level or the professional level is something I want to be involved with as long as possible.
DB: You were recently named to the Pac-12 All-Century Team. What does it say about the soccer tradition at UCLA that most of the roster were former Bruins?
CJ: It’s obviously a massive honor and one that I’m incredibly proud and honored to be a part of. I love that the Pac-12 All-Century Team has a lot of Bruins on it. It’s just a really big testament to UCLA’s play on a consistent basis no matter the teams or the players that come in. When nine of 11 players and the coach selected are Bruins – that’s pretty solid overall.
DB: What are the biggest changes you’ve seen in Pac-12 and college soccer when you were here versus now?
CJ: It’s a completely different game now. The academy system is so big and it draws players out of the game much sooner than they did when I played, where guys developed and then stayed for all four years before moving on to the next ranks. Now it’s common to see players come, go in and then move on. You have freshmen and sophomores trying to decide whether to go pro or stick it out collegiately for a few more seasons. It makes it much more difficult for the coaches to recruit because they won’t know who’s sticking around and personnel-wise because they won’t know who’s available.
DB: How do you think this UCLA team compares to previous teams?
CJ: Every season, UCLA teams have their own issues to sort out and deal with. The big one for this year’s team is there’s a lot of talent on the front line of this UCLA squad. It’s very hard to compare because each generation has things to deal with, but this team definitely has the potential to go very far.
DB: On that note, what do you think is the key for the Bruins to have a deep postseason run?
CJ: The main thing for this team is they have to clamp down defensively. They’ve given up a lot of early goals and fallen behind, and then they’ve tried to compensate with that talented front line. The offense is extremely talented and can score in a variety of ways – off of set pieces, on fast breaks – but they can’t be playing behind the entire game. So if they can buckle down and eliminate early mistakes, they’ll be able to compete with all of the top teams.
Compiled by Tuanh Dam, Bruin Sports reporter.