By Mariana Smithfield

Jones, who spent eight seasons with Crew Academy, to take on new coaching endeavor after leading Crew 2 to third consecutive Eastern Conference Final

Dec. 12, 2024

COLUMBUS – After eight seasons with the Black & Gold, Kelvin Jones has departed the Club to pursue new professional endeavors. Jones, who started with the Club in 2017, was named Crew 2 Head Coach in 2024 after previously leading the Under-12, U-15 and U-19 Academy teams and serving as Academy Director from 2020-23.

“Throughout his time with our Club, Kelvin has been dedicated to developing players and fostering talent,” said Columbus Crew General Manager Issa Tall. “The Crew emphasize developing staff, coaches and players, and we are proud to see Kelvin take this next step in his coaching journey. We thank Kelvin for his contributions to the Club and wish him and his family all the best moving forward.”

In 2024, Jones led Crew 2 to the Eastern Conference Final despite entering the tournament as a No. 7 seed. The Capybaras defeated Inter Miami CF II, 6-2, in the opening round of the playoffs on Oct. 20 and Chicago Fire FC II, 3-2, in the semifinals on Oct. 27. With an average age of 19.1 years this season, Crew 2 saw 18 unique goal scorers and finished third in MLS NEXT Pro for minutes logged by players under the age of 19.

After becoming Academy Director in summer of 2020, five Crew Academy players signed Homegrown contracts: Isaiah Parente (2021), Sean Zawadzki (2022), Keegan Hughes (2023), Taha Habroune (2024) and Cole Mrowka (2024).

On the international stage, Jones was named an assistant coach for the United States Under-17 Men’s Youth National Team for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Indonesia. During the tournament, the U.S. returned to the knockout stage for the first time since 2017, reaching the Round of 16 before falling to eventual champions Germany.

Jones was the second head coach in Crew 2 history, following the departure of Laurent Courtois to CF Montreal in January.

COURTESY CREW COMMUNICATIONS