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ESPN staff 10y

Jermaine Jones to join New England

United States international midfielder Jermaine Jones has signed with Major League Soccer and will join the New England Revolution.

The Revs landed Jones after MLS conducted a blind draw, and he signed a designated player contract on Sunday, the team announced.

Jones will receive $4.7 million on the contract, which lasts through the 2015 season, ESPN's Alexi Lalas reported.

The Chicago Fire were also interested in signing Jones, but lost out after MLS applied the unusual step of conducting a draw.

"Jones, as a designated player of a certain threshold, was not subject to allocation ranking for dispersal to an MLS team," the Revolution explained in its statement announcing the deal.

"The Revolution and Fire expressed an interest in Jones, and had the available salary budget and a designated player slot to accommodate him. Following a blind draw between the two clubs, Jones was assigned to the Revolution."

Jones, 32, has made 46 appearances for the United States national team and scored against Portugal at this summer's World Cup.

"I'm very excited to come to MLS and join the Revolution," Jones said in a statement. "New England is an exciting team on the rise, and I believe I can come in and help the team make a push toward MLS Cup.

"Playing with the U.S. national team has given me a great connection with the American fans and I'm looking forward to playing in front of them every weekend. I'm ready to get started with the Revs."

Jones last played for Besiktas in Turkey on loan from Schalke in the German Bundesliga. He became a free agent at the end of last season.

"When we learned that he was interested in signing with MLS, we immediately informed the league of our interest," Revolution operator Jonathan Kraft said in a statement. "He is a dynamic player and is certain to have a tremendous impact on our team and in our community. We look forward to his many contributions."

New England will officially reveal Jones on Tuesday.

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