Couch: Michigan State, Lansing United star DeJuan Jones closing in on MLS dream

EAST LANSING – After a week training with one Major League Soccer franchise and in front of another, DeJuan Jones found himself being humbled with the precision, humor and love that only a big sister can deliver.

“He’s always somebody who says, ‘I’m the greatest,’ this is like in eighth grade. (In) fifth grade, ‘I’m the best in the world,’” said Carla Jones, 18 months older than DeJuan, standing in the middle of the field after watching her brother play for Lansing United on Friday night.

“We’re just like, ‘Uh, you’re not really the best, but keep believing that.’”

“Oh, wow. Thanks,” DeJuan replied, softly and with sarcasm.

Jones’ childhood boasting has given way to sincere humility and quiet confidence, according to coaches and teammates and even Carla, one of two older sisters.

He’s got good reason to be confident. A year from now, the Michigan State senior-to-be, Lansing native and former East Lansing high school star — probably the best player ever to come out of this area — is likely to be playing in MLS, the top professional level of soccer in this country. 

"I think that’s a very probable route for DeJuan,” MSU coach Damon Rensing said Friday. “He’s somebody who could be a very high first-round draft pick. You just don’t know exactly. I think his senior year (this fall at MSU) will determine a lot.”

There are three other Spartans in MLS right now — rookie Ken Krolicki (Montreal), Jay Chapman (Toronto) and Fatai Alashe (San Jose). Tyler Pasher, the star of Lansing United’s inaugural team in 2014, is the only LanU player to reach MLS to this point.

Jones, a midfielder and forward, learned a bit last week about where he stands. He and one other top college player were invited to train with MLS’s Minnesota United for several days, before he joined about 30 other prospects at a training session put on by Sporting Kansas City. He arrived back in Lansing on Friday in time for United’s 2-1 loss to the Michigan Bucks, the club’s first loss of the season.

His time in Minnesota was eye-opening.

“Just the speed of play,” said Jones, who stands about 5-foot-8 and turns 21 on Sunday. “You try to close your guy down, next thing you know the ball is passing through your legs. It’s really fast play. These guys are professionals. It’s cool to see the guys at the next level and see the guys I aspire to become.”

Speed, in time, won’t be an issue for Jones. That’s part of what separates him at the collegiate level and with Lansing United in the Premier Development League.

He leads United with four goals, having played in six of LanU’s nine games. United are 4-1 (also with four ties) on the season, in second place in the Premier Development League’s Great Lakes Division with 16 points, one behind Dayton entering Saturday. Jones will be back on the field for Sunday’s 4 p.m. match against West Virginia, which follows a home LanU women’s match at noon. 

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“It’s one thing to be fast, it’s another thing to be fast with the ball,” Rensing said. “DeJuan has both of those (skills). He can run in behind and someone can pass him the ball, or he can run at players. He dribbles with very good pace. The other thing that I think separates DeJuan from some other college players is he can score with either foot.

“His final-third (of the field) instincts are very good. I think in the middle third, you just need to play quick and simple and help keep possession, and he’s gotten better every year, but that’s something he can continue to grow on.”

(Watch below as DeJuan Jones score the game-tying goal against Grand Rapids FC)

Part of the reason Rensing is confident that Jones will do so is what he’s seen through three years at MSU. Jones didn’t play elite academy soccer in high school. He played for the same Lansing club he joined as an eighth-grader, TNT Dynamite, and chose to play high school soccer at East Lansing, where he led the Trojans to two state championships and was named Michigan’s Mr. Soccer as a senior. He also ran track through his sophomore year. 

“I loved it,” Jones said of his high school and club soccer experiences, saying he had no regrets, even if he entered MSU a bit more raw on the soccer field than he otherwise might have.

Jones is quick to say his first touch is the physical skill that needs the most polishing before January’s MLS draft. 

“Just receiving the ball and playing quicker, having a decision made before I get the ball, just thinking a couple steps ahead,” he said.

The value of this summer with LanU — and with short MLS training interludes — is the different looks and types of coaching he sees. Last summer, he played for Myrtle Beach’s PDL club after spending his first collegiate offseason with United, though he played parts of just two games that summer because of a foot injury. He decided to come back to Lansing for this summer when United moved from the National Premier Soccer League to the PDL.

And to play on his old high school field again, in front of his hometown.

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“I asked different things from him than they ask at Michigan State, and these are all the best college players from around the country (we’re playing against),” said Lansing United coach Nate Miller, who sees Jones as wide midfielder at the professional level. “He’s comfortable at Michigan State. The more you can make a player uncomfortable, the better.

“When you watch DeJuan, what’s obvious about him are his physical tools and what he can do, his pace, his agility. I think what separates him is usually when you find talented players like that, they can take it easy sometimes, where they don’t have the intangibles. DeJuan, just the little things — his work rate from the start of the game to the end of the game. He can play multiple positions. If I’m a GM or if I’m a coach, he’s just a really good teammate to be around. Sometimes with elite talents, they’re tough to get along with. DeJuan’s not that.”

That’s pretty clear when you talk to Jones. Faith is a big part of his life. His personality is disarming. He loves barbecue sauce and likes PG-13 sitcoms. He can be silly. 

“Very simply, I want to give him confidence that he can be the man,” Miller said.

His sister Carla would argue, playfully, that he’s always had that.

“I don’t have to tell him to be humble,” Carla said. “I have to tell him to be confident. He’s already confident, but sometimes you need that extra push from your sister at a game, like ‘DeJuan, you should have taken that one. Come on, Bro.’”

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Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.

Sunday’s matches
Lansing United women vs. Detroit Sun, Noon
Lansing United men vs. West Virginia, 4 p.m.
Where: East Lansing Soccer Complex
Tickets at Lanunited.com: $8 adults, $5 children 12-under
Tickets on site: $10 adults, $8 children 12-under 
Note: One ticket is good for both games
Silent auction: Special game-worn jerseys will be auctioned off after each game, with proceeds going to the Herbert-Herman Cancer Center and the Sparrow Foundation