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Nashville Acquires Jones from Union

By USLChampionship.com Staff, 05/09/19, 7:43PM EDT

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United States U-23 international will spend remainder of 2019 with NSC’s Championship side


Derrick Jones has made 55 appearances for Bethlehem Steel FC, recording 10 goals and three assists in his Championship career. | Photo courtesy Bethlehem Steel FC

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nashville SC announced on Thursday evening it had acquired United States U-23 National Team midfielder Derrick Jones from the Philadelphia Union for $175,000 in General Allocation Money. The deal will be made official with Major League Soccer on January 1, 2020, and Jones will be loaned to Nashville SC for the remainder of the 2019 USL Championship season.

As a part of the transaction, Nashville SC has also acquired Jones’ Homegrown Player rights, and he will count as a Homegrown Player on the club’s MLS roster. Philadelphia will retain a portion of any future transfer revenue should Nashville SC transfer Jones outside Major League Soccer.

“This deal allows us to acquire a young, talented player early in our build up to MLS that gives our coaching staff an opportunity to get to know Derrick and his game before we take the field in MLS,” said Nashville SC General Manager Mike Jacobs. “We are also continuing to work diligently on trades that add pieces to our senior roster in 2020.”

Jones, who played in the Philadelphia Union’s Youth Academy, became the club’s first signing for Bethlehem Steel FC when he signed to play for the club’s USL Championship team in 2016. That season, Jones made 26 USL appearances, scoring five goals, and signed an MLS contract on July 27.

He made his MLS debut in Philadelphia’s 2017 season opener, becoming the Union’s first player to appear for the Academy, USL Championship and MLS clubs. Since the start of the 2017 season, Jones has split time between the Philadelphia Union and Steel FC, making 25 MLS appearances and 29 Championship appearances, scoring five additional goals in the Championship. Jones has scored once in a Union uniform in a 2017 U.S. Open Cup Fourth Round win over Penn FC.

“Derrick epitomizes the modern central midfield player,” said Nashville SC head coach Gary Smith. “He’s a terrific athlete, and covers ground immensely well. He is technically very efficient, creative, chips in with a few goals and is very competitive. The fact that he’s 22 years old means that we have plenty of time to be with Derrick and to really mature his game. He’s got all of the qualities you want to see, but it’s going to be that experience, that know-how, and probably more than anything, those opportunities, that are going to make the difference for Derrick.”

Jones has represented the United States the both the U-20 and U-23 levels internationally. He made his international debut on October 5, 2016 for the U.S. U-20 National Team against Germany and made four appearances with three starts at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup when the United States reached the Quarterfinals of the tournament.

Jones has since made two appearances for the U.S. U-23 team this past March as it prepares for qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Games in Japan. He was also twice selected to the Championship’s 20 Under 20 in 2016 and 2017 as one of the top young players in the league.

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