2023 was a banner year for DeJuan Jones. At age 25, the right-footed left back had become a mainstay in Bruce Arena’s New England lineup and parlayed that experience into a U.S. Men’s National Team call up that summer, where he starred in the Gold Cup.
But then his career took a bit of a detour. Arena was unceremoniously dismissed, and a year later, in the middle of a miserable season, Jones was traded to the Columbus Crew, where he found himself on the outside looking in of a well-oiled machine.
Now he’s arrived in San Jose, back with the coach that groomed him as a professional athlete, via a trade that cost the Earthquakes $425,000 in General Allocation Money and one International Roster Slot. The move has already paid off handsomely.
In his first game at PayPal Park, Jones was inserted into Arena’s starting lineup — this time at right wingback — and provided two assists en route to a 4-1 victory over the resurgent and dangerous Portland Timbers.
“It’s definitely nice being back with Bruce,” Jones said after the game. “Working with [the staff] that, you know, believe in me and have coached me before. I know what to expect.”
Fullbacks are rarely the creative fulcrum of great teams, but Jones’ inclusion unlocked the best traits of captain Cristian Espinoza, who was — before Arena opted to play the Argentine forward in the wingback role to start the season — the team’s most reliable offensive contributor.
Pushed higher up the field, Espinoza was a constant threat with his run in between the channels, scoring twice in eight minutes in the first half.
“I feel more comfortable to be honest,” Espinoza said. “[Forward] is a position I’ve always played. It’s a lot of work too, because we always say that the first defenders inside the field are the strikers, and we as forwards, always need to help the whole team in pressing.”
“But yes, being closer to the goal is important to me,” he added. “It’s amazing having [Dejuan Jones] behind you, covering you. Everytime I turned around, he was behind me. It’s really important to have those kinds of players. I’m very happy for him. He had a great game.”
Under Phil Neville, the Timbers are a possession-based team that like to play with a high line. The visitors pressured the hosts for long spells in the beginning of each half, but were burned several times in transition when they turned the ball over.
Jones’ second assist came in the 26th minute when he brought down a long ball, pushed down the flank, and played a beautiful one-two combination to put striker Chicho Arango on goal, who put away his league-leading seventh goal of the season.
The Quakes could have added three or four more scores to the final tally, but had another Arango goal called offside and a penalty reversed by video review.
Saturday’s victory over Portland snapped a three game losing streak, which saw San Jose drop contests to LAFC, the Crew, and concede five goals to a lowly Sporting Kansas City, which had just fired Peter Vermes.
Arena cautioned that it was still too early to draw any conclusions about the team. With eleven games played, the Quakes have won four, lost six and drawn one.
“When you see or hear a lot of talk about where teams are right now, I don’t think you can do that,” Arena said. “It’s a long season. When I won my first MLS Cup in 1996, I think we went 1-7 in our first eight games. So there’s a lot of soccer ahead.”
In addition to trading for Jones, the Quakes also acquired 20-year-old midfielder Noel Buck from the New England Revolution for $600,000 in cash. The Massachusetts native broke into Arena’s first team in 2022 and started 20 games the year after, before going out on loan to Southampton.
He made his Earthquakes debut in the 93rd minute.
San Jose has scored a league-leading 24 goals this year, with Espinoza, Arango and Josef Martinez involved in each one of them in some capacity. They’ve also conceded 20 goals, tied for second worst in the conference.
Like the Quakes, the past two seasons haven’t gone the way Jones would have scripted it, but he said he’s ready for the opportunity to play an important role on a team again.
“I’ve grown a lot as a man off the field as a person as well,” he said. “I’m ready to step into more of a leadership role. You know, I’ve seen a lot of different coaching styles and I know what I can bring to this team. So with the Gold Cup coming this summer and the World Cup coming next year, I’m going to do everything I can to get back into that team.”
About the Author: Kevin V. Nguyen is a business and sports journalist based in the Bay Area. Follow him on X/Twitter @KevinNguyen_89 or on Bluesky @kevinvnguyen.bsky.social
