5 questions for... Cobi Jones
Cobi Jones, former U.S. national team star and Fox Sports analyst, talks to The Post’s Justin Terranova about Germany’s failings, calling games at 3:30 in the morning, and why he’s getting more “pissed off” as the World Cup goes on.
Q: Is the disappointment of U.S. not being here subsiding or getting worse as the tournament goes on?
A: Worse and worse. I thought it was bad when it first happened, then it kind of died down, but as the World Cup got closer it started to affect me. When I see the Panama game, you naturally say, “This is the position we could have been in.” You start feeling that frustration and you are quite pissed off the U.S. isn’t there. It’s hard to put into words the disappointment and hopefully everyone involved in U.S. soccer makes a concerted effort that this does NOT happen four years from now.
Q: What shocked you most about Germany’s loss?
A: They were getting overrun in the midfield and even after Mexico had a couple of breakaways in the first 4-5 minutes, Germany didn’t adjust. There wasn’t a tactical switch where they pulled somebody back to help the two guys back there. They just let it go for the entire half.
Q: Are the opponents — in this case Switzerland — or the refs to blame for how Neymar was treated in Brazil’s first game?
A: Both. Neymar knows as a top player he’s going to get a little extra attention. But if you’re targeting one specific player, there should be some type of warning, some type of cards coming out. We want to see the stars be able to perform, see them shine. If we are just going to let him get kicked like that, then that’s not what this modern game is supposed to be about.
Q: How has it been calling games remotely from Los Angeles?
A: There’s a variety of different angles that we get to see. Obviously, there’s a difference between being at the game and calling it from a studio, but if we are calling it this way then this is exactly the option that I would want. The angles and information we have available are ideal. We have a “spotter” who’s with us and consistently giving us all the information that we need and might miss. It’s a lot to choose from, a lot of information to take in.
Q: And you must be calling games extremely early out there?
A: (For South Korea-Sweden) I had a 3:30 call time and was up at like 2:30. Trust me, it’s interesting and it’s different. The whole next day you feel a little bit off. That’s normal when you’re staying up all night making sure you get the work done. It’s definitely different, though, it’s no different than the fans getting up at those hours to watch their teams play.