Josmer Volmy Altidore was once the largest transfer out of MLS, a player that scored 30+ goals in one European season, and someone who was seen as the savior of US Soccer once the legends of the past were starting to retire.
His career is rife with the highest highs and the lowest lows. It has all come crashing down this season as he was offloaded from Toronto FC to NE Revolution, recently told his assistant coach to fuck off, and refused to stretch on the sidelines with his squad.
How did a player that was so highly valued, that could have carried an entire generation on his shoulders end up in silly twitter fights and acting as a petulant child kicking off his shoes on the bench while his team played in a baseball stadium?
It's lost on some that Altidore was actually the 16th pick in the MLS draft. Altidore made his professional debut in 2006, at the age of 16, with the New York Red bulls and was already seen as a polished talent by the time he could consider transfer requests from Europe a few years later. By 2008, less than two years after debuting, Altidore had already been selected by the U.S. Men's National Team, scored 15 professional goals and had his image grace the cover of EA Sports' popular videogame, FIFA 08.
He produced some incredible highlights as a young teenager in that time.
MLS had been negotiating with European clubs since the beginning of 2008, and a bidding war ensued. Spanish club Villareal won out, paying over $10 million for Altidore's services, becoming the highest amount ever a club has paid for an American player... and he was only 18 years old at the time.
In Europe, Altidore found a different culture and a wildly different approach to the sport. Even at a relatively smaller club like Villareal, press attention swarmed the players at every corner.
In six months, Altidore only mustered a handful of appearances as a substitute, and despite scoring once, his playing time was severely hampered by the pecking order at Villareal, which featured fellow New Jersey product Giuseppe Rossi, Mexican international Guillermo Franco, and Turkish star Nihat.
In an interview with ESPN Jozy spoke on his time as a “a time when he failed in a spot and felt broken”.
“At 18 years old I moved to Spain by myself, you know I was playing at a high level for a team that just finished 2nd. I didn’t have any friends, I was shy and didn’t have friends. It was living in a little village - it was tough for me and on the field it was tough for me also. A lot of people counted me out and said I was done. As a 18 year old kid to deal with all that.”
2009 wasn't all filled with horrible performances for Jozy - he scored the winner against one of the best National Teams of all time in the Confederations Cup. The Confederations Cup was a preparation tournament held a year before the World Cup. The USMNT made their first FIFA final after disposing of Spain and taking Brazil to the brink in the final. Jozy Altidore played a major part in those National team performances.
Returning to his club after a horrible loan spell to second division Spanish side Xerez, it was announced Hull City in the English premier League had secured a year-long loan for Jozy Altidore's services.
In the 2010 World Cup his form seemed to be impacted by his club situation. Despite starting all four matches for the Americans, he could only muster 1 assist and 0 goals.
Surprise surprise, the loan to Hull City didn't work out for Jozy. He scored 1 goal and had 1 assist in 28 appearances for the English side. Villareal tried everything to make the contract work, and sent Altidore to Bursaspor in Turkey. In two years Jozy Altidore had played for four different clubs across three different countries. He did not find success, but a club in the Dutch Eredivisie was ready to take a chance on the still young American. It was a new dawn for Altidore as he joined AZ Alkmaar in July of 2011.
Altidore was a new player! Jozy led the team in scoring in his first campaign with 22 goals across all competitions. He finished tied for seventh in the Eredivisie in goals scored. Altidore credited his successful campaign to his new coach, manager Gertjan Verbeek. In the opening game of the new Eredivisie campaign, Altidore scored a quick brace as AZ drew 2–2 with reigning champions Ajax on August 12, 2012. Altidore continued his impressive start to the league campaign, netting another brace in the club's 3–1 victory over SC Heracles on the second weekend of the season. Following the international break, Altidore scored the first hat-trick of his club career on September 16, helping AZ to a 4–0 defeat of Roda JC.
Altidore powered his team to just their fourth victory in 17 games, and their first since October 28, netting a brace in a 2–1 defeat of PEC Zwolle on December 15. In the first game of 2013, Altidore hammered home 3 for the hat-trick against Vitesse Arnhem.
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On April 14, Altidore netted his third hat-trick of the season in a 6–0 victory over FC Utrecht. On 9 May, he scored the winning goal against PSV in the KNVB Cup final, helping AZ to lift the Dutch Cup for the first time in 31 years. Subsequently, Altidore became the first-ever American to be named in De Telegraaf's "Team of the Season" after finishing with 23 goals in the Eredivisie and 8 in the KNVB Cup.
At the end of the 2013 season, the English Premier League came calling again as Sunderland signed Jozy Altidore from AZ Alkmaar. Starting fresh a new season in 2013 with Sunderland in EPL - Altidore ended the 2013–14 season with two goals in 37 appearances.
Yet his form continued at a blistering pace for the national team. Jozy Altidore was seen as a critical piece of the USMNT going into the 2014 World Cup. Hopes were high as Jozy scored a hattrick in the preparation match vs Bosnia & Herzegovina, and then famously injured his hamstring in the first 15 minutes of the opening match against Ghana. If you ask me - that was the beginning of the end for Jozy.
By October 2014 his National team and club situation were still in flux. He had made just six appearances and scored one goal. Altidore told reporters, "If it doesn't turn around then in January I'll be looking to start elsewhere" to stay in the United States national team picture.
Altidore left Sunderland in January 2015. He finished his stay with three goals in 52 appearances in all competitions and one goal in 42 league games. He would join national team captain Michael Bradley at Toronto FC.
Altidore had relative success early on in his return to Major League Soccer. He concluded his debut season with 14 goals in 27 appearances, and finished 10th in the overall MLS goalscoring charts. Toronto advanced to the playoffs because of his performances.
Altidore began the 2016 season scoreless in his first 20, but redeemed himself as the season went on and finished with 15 goals in 29 matches. He won the Canadian Championship, and Toronto FC made it to the MLS Cup final but lost to Seattle Sounders.
Progressing to the MLS Cup Playoffs for a third consecutive season, Altidore was involved in two controversial incidents against former club the New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference semi-final second leg. After a foul on Tyler Adams by teammate Giovinco in the first half, Altidore confronted Adams with an argument ensuing. He was subsequently shoved by New York's captain, Sacha Kljestan, and fell to the ground in an exaggerated manner; both players were cautioned by referee Chris Penso for their behaviour. During the half-time break, an altercation broke out between both teams in the tunnel, and while circumstances were unclear, Kljestan and Altidore were believed to be at the center of the incident. As a result, both players were sent off for violent conduct and Altidore went on to miss the Conference Final first leg with Toronto progressing on away goals.
Returning for the Eastern Conference Final second leg against the Columbus Crew, Altidore scored the decisive goal on the hour mark. Despite carrying an injury sustained earlier in the game, which eventually forced him off, he sent Toronto through to the MLS Cup Final – a repeat of the previous year's final with the Seattle Sounders also progressing – with a 1–0 aggregate win.
On December 9, Altidore struck the opening goal of the MLS Cup Final in the 67th minute; Toronto went on to win the match 2–0 at BMO Field and Altidore was named the MLS Cup MVP. He finished his season with 18 goals from 33 games.
The 2018-19 seasons were not very kind to Altidore. He began to have successive and recurring injuries to his leg muscles and feet. Jozy's career in Toronto continued without much fanfare. The fanfare for Jozy Altidore stopped off the field, but began to occur often off the field. In 2019 the Americans did not qualify for the Olympic soccer tournament. Taylor Twellman called the failure "laughable and pathetic." Jozy did not take kindly to that and hit back at Twellman with a tweet of his own.
So continued a deluge of events that I think firmly classifies Jozy Altidore as a "prima donna". The previous National Team manager Bruce Arena moved to New England Revolution and began to assemble a plethora of classic USMNT players. Sebastian Lletget and Omar Gonzalez awaited Jozy Altidore as he joined from Toronto FC at the beginning of the 2022 season.
That brings us to Jozy's most recent tirade. In a recent match the New England Revolution were taking on NYCFC in Yankee Stadium. Jozy began the match on the bench, and apparently blew up at the assistant coach when he found out he wouldn't be coming on as a sub.
That seems to run counterintuitive to what Altidore said in an interview with ExtraTime radio:
“I still want to be playing and challenging for minutes, but I understand if I have to take a step back, I have no issue with that at all,” Altidore said. "These are very, very good strikers with Carles Gil in behind so I just look to add to it whenever I can, to help the team get more goals, to take pressure off these guys and help us be more effective.”
So here we are today. Jozy Altidore has played in the best leagues in the world. He's scored 30+ goals in Europe. He's also fought national team teammates in MLS, been suspended multiple times, carried nagging injuries for years, and solidified his place as someone who will not be forgotten anytime soon by fans of the USMNT or MLS.
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