U.S., MLS icon gets his shot at running the Rankings

Cobi Jones is one of 10 active players who were around in MLS' first season, and he's the only one to spend his entire career with one team. Jeff Gross/Getty Images

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Here's a personal admission you won't hear from me very often: Cobi Jones is a huge reason I'm a soccer fan.

Like most Americans, I wasn't born with the sport in my blood. But like most fans who discovered soccer Stateside, I latched onto the Beautiful Game in large part thanks to one of the few U.S. icons who crossed over into the sporting mainstream.

In my case, that icon was Cobi, the dreadlocked winger who may be the most recognizable figure in the history of American soccer. (My sincerest apologies, Alexi Lalas.)

On Thursday night, the Los Angeles Galaxy will honor Cobi before the final regular-season home appearance of his career, against the New York Red Bulls (11 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

The 37-year-old Jones is calling it quits at the close of the 2007 season, his 12th in the league. In fact, he's one of only 10 players left from MLS' inaugural season in '96, and he's the only one who has played for the same team his entire career.

Cobi is simply one of the classiest and most successful guys to ever play for the U.S. or MLS. A former walk-on at UCLA, he went on to become a key contributor in three World Cups during his 12 years with the national team. He also helped the Galaxy to two MLS Cup titles, three other final appearances and a CONCACAF Champions' Cup. Jeez, he's basically the reason I bought and still own a hideously striped Galaxy jersey from the '97 season.

Thursday night will be Jones' 350th game in an L.A. uniform. He holds the team records in both scoring (76 goals) and assists (104). But he's also a huge reason MLS is still around. When the fledgling league was fighting to stay alive, Cobi became a star kids could remember -- not just for the ever-present dreads, but for his speed, vision on the field and general grace.

There aren't many ways for me to say thanks for being a big part of the reason I'm passionate about soccer. So I did the only thing I knew: I asked Cobi to help me write this week's Power Rankings. After all, he's one of the few American internationals to play for clubs on three continents (in England with Coventry City and in Brazil at Vasco da Gama, both before MLS even began).

But Cobi's never been a spotlight kind of guy. So in typical fashion, he asked Galaxy teammates Kyle Martino and Kelly Gray to help us both out with the rundown.

So in appreciation of a guy I truly admire, we proudly present the World Soccer Power Rankings: The Cobi Jones Edition.

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