When Derrick Jones left Ghana to live in Philadelphia four years ago, the move was not for soccer reasons.
The move was for family reasons. Jones left his native country to be with his parents, who moved to the U.S. earlier while Jones stayed behind with his grandmother in Ghana.
"I didn't come here [only] to play soccer," Jones said. "Even though I played soccer in Ghana, it wasn't something I was thinking about doing here."
It was a good thing that Jones thought twice about playing soccer. He soon became a fixture in the Philadelphia Union's academy system. He was the first player signed by the local USL team Bethlehem Steel FC last December.
And when speculating about future, possible Philadelphia Union talent, it is easy to imagine the 6-foot-6 Jones in an MLS situation. As a midfielder, he has the agility and instinct to cover the smaller, agile players. He works well with others, as in he can help the team attack on offense, dig in on defense and control the midfield when asked to do so.
"I felt good about [being the first Steel FC signee] and at the same time, I was kind of nervous because it would be my first year being a professional," he said. "Because I was the first player [signed], I know a lot of people are expecting a lot from me, but as time went on I trained, and I wasn't that nervous.
"I think about [the MLS] a lot. I want to play for the first team [the Union]. Some of the academy players look up to me. None of the other academy players have gone pro yet. I'm the first one. I'm trying to work hard and hopefully make it to the first team. I want to be an example to the young kids who want to go pro, too."
This is a pivotal week for the Steel. Wednesday night's game at Toronto was the end of a five-game stretch of nothing but road games. The next game, a 4 p.m. Sunday start at Lehigh's Goodman Stadium against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, begins a six-game stretch of nothing but home games.
Bethlehem (4-5-6 entering Wednesday) has been hanging between eighth and 11th place in the USL's 14-team Eastern Conference all season long. The Steel is exactly halfway through its 30-game regular season, which ends on Sept. 25.
Jones leads the team in scoring and is second in minutes played. He is representative of the system the Union has set up, one which identifies players in the Philadelphia region, trains them in the academies, then uses the Steel as the conduit to get the players to the Union.
Jones would be the first one to go through the entire system if he does so. At the moment, he is the first one to sign a pro contract and play with the Steel. Four others have played with the Steel on a temporary basis and have not signed with the team.
Most of the academy players are recent high school graduates who have signed letters of intent to play in college. Auston Trusty, who will play at the University of North Carolina, is the best example of the group, with more than 800 minutes played in nine starts.
Jones said that the point of the system with the academy and Union affiliations is to not only develop home-grown players, but also get each playing in the same system.
The Steel players frequently train with the Union players.
"We train, then sometimes have a day off and train the whole week," Jones said. "As a first-year team we're getting to know each other. It's kind of hard to win games, but we're getting there."
On Sunday, Bethlehem will be playing a Pittsburgh team that has had a rough year. The Riverhounds fired coach Justin Evans after an 0-4-3 start. A week before that, Romeo Parkes became infamous on YouTube after kicking an opponent in the back; he was later released from the team.
Pittsburgh hired successful Navy coach Dave Brandt to replace Justin Evans. In a coincidental related move, Navy then hired former Muhlenberg player Tim O'Donohue, who had coaching stints at Stevens Tech in New Jersey and UConn, to replace Brandt.
Pittsburgh (2-8-4) will enter Sunday's game with some sense of stability, although it is now in 13th place. Bethlehem will begin a stretch of six home games in 28 days.
"We have some good players," Jones said. "If we keep playing, we're going to be very good."