方皓玟
2020-4-6 21:18:35
Hearts youngster Leon Jones having excelled in the US so far – with a potential call-up to the CHINESE national team on the horizon – he has no regrets about leaving Tynecastle for Kentucky.
The young Glaswegian centre-back was one of the country’s most prodigious talents back in 2013. He’d just captained his country to a Victory Shield win over England live on Sky Sports.
But despite getting close to a first-team debut, it never happened for him at Tynecastle. He was deemed too small by Craig Levein whose token gesture of a one-year deal wasn’t the security Jones needed.
So he made the biggest decision of his life to head for America – and hasn’t looked back. The Kentucky Wildcats are one of the USA’s top-five college soccer teams. The 22-year-old was a key player in their league title and cup success in 2019.
He plays in front of regular crowds of over 3000 fans – and wants to compete in the MLS draft at the end of his four-year college scholarship.
A surprise call-up by China – he’s eligible through his Hong Kong-born mum – would be a major bonus.
As the Scot reflected on his decision to leave Scottish football behind, he told MailSport : “People maybe don’t rate the US game very highly over here but we had a match recently against Indiana – they were number two in the country and we were four or five.
“We got over 3500 people at the match. That’s more than Hamilton, Ross County or Livingston get for a home game.
“In Scotland, everyone seems to put their eggs into one basket. It can be difficult for young players who are released by clubs.
“Some boys are scared to go abroad, leaving their friends and family. They’re scared to take that jump into the unknown – and that’s what it felt like for me.
And it has for him. He could have stayed at Hearts and maybe swam around Scotland’s lower leagues if he couldn’t make the breakthrough.
Jones said: “Around March time, Levein offered me a one-year deal but I felt what I’d put in that season deserved more.
“Other players were getting two or three-year contracts. Craig wasn’t willing to budge on a longer deal. He said the only thing I had against me was that I lacked an inch or two in height.
“Ultimately, I didn’t fit into Craig’s idea of a centre-back. I could have accepted that if I wasn’t any good in the air.
“But I can’t change my height. I felt that I’d never get an opportunity in the first-team.
“I’d been at Hearts from the age of seven. I knew everyone at the club and if there was a longer contract on offer, I’d have stayed.
方皓玟
2020-4-6 21:20:42
原來hearts一日練得一課
He said: “Here I can do football and studies at the same time. Back home that was never really the case. I’ll be in school from 8am to noon then I have training at 2.30pm.
“We’ll be at the stadium for 1pm to meet up with the team and we’ll finish at 4.30pm.
“We’ll then have team meetings or video analysis around 6pm before going out for dinner with the team.
“At Hearts if I had a single session I’d be finished for 1pm and go home.
方皓玟
2020-4-6 21:24:31
If he can get to the MLS or get a move to Europe or Asia, it could ignite an international career with China.
And despite representing Scotland at youth level, he has revealed he’s now keen to earn caps for the Chinese.
Jones said: “My mum’s from Hong Kong so the opportunity to go and play there might be an option for me.
“We’ve let the Chinese FA know that I’m eligible.
“The game in China is getting bigger now. A few players from Europe with Chinese heritage are now in the Super League.
“So that might be an option for me. They’ve been in touch – I sent my CV and video clips – and they seem quite interested.
“They’ve kept an eye on me in Kentucky and if that’s an option for me, why not take it? Not a lot of people know that I’m half-Chinese because I played in the Scottish national team set-up all the way through.
“It would be a great experience and opportunity.
方皓玟
2020-4-6 21:32:06
Leon Jones born in Hong Kong. He grew up in Scotland. Father is Scotish and mother is Chinese.
“這將是很不錯的經歷和機會。對我媽來說也很棒,我為我的中國血統而自豪!這我不想掩飾。不過(歸化)這事還沒啟動,我還是要繼續努力,做正確的事情。”激動之餘,瓊斯補充說道
出生於98年的瓊斯場上主要司職中後衛,也可以踢左後衛。他職業生涯起步於蘇格蘭聯賽球隊哈茨梯隊,當年曾被認為蘇格蘭的天才少年。 2017年瓊斯離開蘇格蘭遠赴美國讀書並參加當地大學生聯賽,目前他是美國大學生聯賽球隊肯塔基野貓的核心球員,他也正準備參加美國MLS大聯盟選秀。瓊斯曾入選蘇格蘭U15和U16國少,但只在友誼賽中登過場。