Atlanta United forward Kenwyne Jones was as interesting as ever in a post-training interview on Wednesday.
The Trinidad and Tobago native has been a key part of the team earning ties at Seattle and Toronto with his ability to come off the bench and be a target for the midfielders and defenders to hit with passes.
Jones touched on a variety of topics in an eight-minute interview, ranging from coming off the bench, to cutting hair, to promotion and relegation.
Q: Is it tough to come in when there is 20-30 minutes left in the game and be a hold-up guy, or is that something you are comfortable with?
A: It’s something that you need to do if the game requires. Sometimes the way the game is set up you might need to start getting in behind teams or probably holding the ball up so you can keep possession more and at least give your team a little bit of a hold on the game.
As a player you have to be adaptable to what’s needed.
Q: How does your mindset change when are you coming in for the last bit of a game instead of for the full 90?
A: I don’t think your mindset if going to change. You just have to prepare to do the job required. Whether you play 90 minutes or play 5 minutes you have to just focus and carry out your functions. Hopefully, depending upon how the game is swinging, either preserve the lead or try to win the game.
Q: How would you say you are adjusting to the style of play on Tata’s team?
A: Adjusting? I’ve been with quite a few different football coaches. I don’t think I have any adjusting to do. At the end of the day, I’m 32, I’ve had a long career so far. I’ve already motivated myself as a player. I’m not a player that’s fresh and trying to learn the game so I think it’s pretty easy for me to carry out the instructions that are necessary. I have loads of experience. I don’t think I need to do much adjusting.
Q: You’ve had a long career and over the last few games you’ve had tough, physical games. How does this league compare with other leagues you’ve played in?
A: This league is tough and any game you are playing is going to be tough. The difference is I think where I’ve played it’s a little bit tougher. You get banged up a lot, especially for the position I played. You do what’s necessary. Again, this game is going to be a battle every way. It’s going to be tough. You have to be able as a player to stand up and be counted.
Q: Does the barber chair (in the locker room) meet your specifications?
A: (laughs) That’s theirs. That’s not mine.
Q: Still touching up guy’s hairstyles?
A: Sometimes. It depends. It depends on if they are willing to pay or not.
Q: What do you charge?
A: It depends upon who the client is.
Q: Who has the best hair game on the team?
A: That depends. Everyone has their own still, more or less. We have a few guys who are pretty mundane and need to spruce it up with a little product maybe. Everyone has their own style.
Q: Do you own a salon? Do you have one at home?
A: I used to. I just don’t have time anymore. It’s just pastime really. It’s nothing I’m thinking about professionally.
Q: A couple of the teams that you were formally on look to be in danger of going down in England. As a player, as you are fighting through that, what is that experience like?
A: It’s tough. From the beginning of the season I think you try to do the best you can. Some of those clubs are at a disadvantage due to the amount of the budget that they have, the players they acquire and basically how the season starts for them.
You don’t start the season intending to go down. You don’t intend for things to not go your way but sometimes that’s the way it goes and it’s very tough in that league, as exciting as it is, it’s very tough to pick up wins and pick up points.
You have to work really, really, really hard to go to some of these places and win and pick points up and to maintain that consistency to be able to stay up in the league. It’s a sad situation but it’s been happening since the beginning of time, so.
Q: Would you like to see promotion/relegation here in the U.S.?
A: To be brutally honest with you, I think I kind of like the way things are set up now. It gives the hope, like all the other sports the way they have the playoffs and so on, it gives the hope for anyone to win the league.
I think it keeps it exciting for this country. Even though the MLS has been around 22 years, people in the past few years are opening up to the idea properly so it keeps them interested. I think it coincides with all the other sports, how their structures and what they are accustomed to.
So I guess with this game you don’t want to go completely left field. I think they found a system that they are accustomed with.
I don’t know, maybe in the future that might change depending on how many teams are in the league and when they decide to stop bringing in franchises and start consolidating the next division. Maybe, possibly, I don’t know, maybe there can be an east and west relegation-type thing, promotion-type thing that helps teams get up and go down.
A lot of changes and things would have to happen for that. I think the league here is run differently than everywhere else. It’s going to be something for them to think about.
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