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Altidore staying put at Villarreal

Jozy Altidore (AFP) 

If you were hoping to see Jozy Altidore loaned out to a smaller European team with the hope of getting more playing time in the second half of the European season, it isn't going to happen.

Villarreal manager Manuel Pellegrini stated after his team's recent win against Recreativo Huelva that none of Villarreal's players will be leaving on loan this winter, and that all, including Altidore, will remain until the end of the season.

Altidore impressed in his start vs. Huelva, proving to be a handful for the opposition defense. He is still raw, and the lack of playing time has him rustier than he might otherwise be if he were playing regularly, but Altidore looks to be sticking around a while with the Yellow Submarine.

The combination of injuries to strikers such as Nihat Kahveci and Guillermo Franco, coupled with the looming strain of the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds, means that Altidore could and should see more playing time in the second half of the season than he did in the first half.

What do you think of the news that Altidore will stay with Villarreal? Do you see him getting more starts? Might he actually be named to the Champions League roster? Do you think he would have been better served moving to a smaller club where he would play more?

Share your thoughts below. 

Comments

  1. Just hoping he gets minutes. It would appear that they would like a Rossi-Jozy combination to blossom.

    If he’s earning the confidence to start, then hes developing through training. Training with a good side and getting minutes can be as much a help as playing regularly on a sub-par squad.

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  2. If he follows the same trajectory that Rossi did, he’ll be great. Rossi did not play a ton with Man U., but he took advantage of his opportunities and worked his way into the top 11 on a very good team.

    Frankly, I don’t think Jozy will stay with Villareal for long unless they give him minutes. That said, he would probably benefit from a loan within La Liga that would allow him to start every game. I am sure that several of the smaller clubs would welcome him.

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  3. Being a Red Bulls Fan. i love that Jozy is making his way into some playing time for the yellow submarines. Think of it this way, they had some injuries and they thought of Jozy first! He is a world class striker and anywhere he is, he will contribute. As for Champions League I don’t think he qualifies this time around, he was not registered in time:

    In order to be eligible to participate in the UEFA club competitions, players

    must be registered with UEFA within the requested deadlines to play for a

    club and fulfill all the conditions set out in the following provisions:

    Each club is responsible for submitting an A list of players (“List A”) and a B

    list of players (“List B”), duly signed, to its national association for verification,

    validation, signature and forwarding to UEFA. These lists must include the

    name, date of birth, shirt number and name, nationality and national

    registration date of all players to be fielded in the UEFA club competition in

    question.

    The club bears the legal consequences for fielding a player who is not

    named on list A or B, or who is otherwise not eligible to play.

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  4. I think it’s very good for him to be there, competing for a spot, with other young explosive and talented forwards… it’s good for all of them. He will work daily with the standard set high and will work to meet and then surpass it.

    Great news.

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  5. Great development for Jozy, IMO. He’s a good enough player, he’ll fight for a starting spot, and continue to dvelop under the aegis of quality strikers. That being said, it bothers me how people have taken this development and then gone completely off topic to take a shot at Freddy Adu. The kid’s matured immensely and is struggling for playing time- period. He hasn’t been whining, or complaining for lack of playing time- as some have insinuated. Rather, he’s done exactly what Jozy has done- dig in, and keep working harder- he just hasn’t had his break yet. It will come. Not to mention the fact that Freddy’s situation at Benfica is completely different from Jozy’s situation at Villareal- think about it. The coach that brought Freddy to SL Benfica resigned and then how many coaches did Benfica go through? 2 or 3?! Jozy hasn’t had to deal with that. In hindsight Freddy should have probably stayed at Benfica but I can’t blame him for wanting the opportunity to get more PT, it’s just a shame it hasn’t worked out yet. I reckon he’ll make his impact soon enough.

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  6. Ives we need more news about what is going on in peru. there r many peruvians like myself and my dad and other south american fans that read your blog and wants to know what is going on.

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  7. If he stays and Landon makes the move to Germany next year their could be a lot of US players playing Champions League Football. We would have players on top teams in France, Germany, Scotland and Spain. Pretty decent way to head into the next World Cup.

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  8. Jozy is going to prosper with that fantastic midfield, when he gets to play. Villarreal, with its continuous injuries, just couldn’t afford to let Jozy go this season.

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  9. I think it is good news for Altidore to stick with the Yellow Subs for a while. I think by playing with the talent on that team would do better than just having more playing time at a lesser club.

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  10. I’m happy with him staying. We’ve learned the hard way that loans don’t necessarily equal playing time, although if it did, I would be for it. I think the training is obviously doing him well, and the advantage of staying is that you actually get to become part of the team.

    Also, I think he’s better than Franco right now. Give him 64 games and he’ll produce more than 16 goals.

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  11. Good for Jozy… I know that he is raw and rusty and everything else but it looks like the team is behind him. He doesn’t look like he is that far out of the plans of the coach and at this point it is probably better he continues to get used to playing with these guys rather than get loaned out to another system. I hope he keeps working hard so that he can get more playing time and go on to play in the CL…

    Good stuff Jozy…

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  12. Folks: The loan would have been within the first division. In fact, against the club he just played against.

    If he gets playing time the rest of the year, then staying is great – a major coup in fact. If he doesn’t then he would have been better off being loaned out and playing against Real Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, etc rather than practicing against his own squad.

    Now, he’s Josy, which means he’s going to exceed expectations and make this a great development. But it is a double edged sword. You don’t want him to be in the ironic situation where he has played well enough to slow his development.

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  13. The idea that a loan to a smaller side = more playing time is a fallacy anyhow. Just look at Freddy Adu, to name one. Playing time at a big or smaller club is all about being in favor with the management, and Jozy seems to be in a good place at Villareal. Glad he’s staying.

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  14. im glad jozy is staying…. Villareal’s front line seems to always be injured… solid performances during these stints could only lead to a push in the depth…

    the playing time will come… he’s what 19?? a season of training with a top side in spain is probably more benefitial then being thrusted into a weaker side hoping for success…. he gets to develope with the team and build a chemstry with them… this is a better situation…

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  15. Adam,

    Teams can ammend their CL rosters at the begining of the knock out rounds (to add new players, or subtract injured or no longer rostered players)

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  16. I don’t think that playing for a smaller club would help jozy. The fight for playing time and practicing with top level players can only make you better. Plus Jozy has the right mindset for this situation, he’s only 19 and knows that he still has plenty of growing to do. He seems to have the work rate to continue improving and the lack of PT seems to only make him work harder which will help him a great deal. Unlike Adu, when Jozy is struggling for PT he works harder and keeps a positive attitude instead of just looking for another club.

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  17. At the most basic, basic level, the two pluses are that Jozy is with what is literally a top European club at the moment, and that he will play (if sparingly). The only minus is no first team football.

    I’m okay with this, strangely. I was all about playing time when he left. But the fact that he is actually playing every once in a while, while also training with one of the best clubs in Spain, well, that sates me a bit. If push came to shove maybe you’d get me to admit that I’d rather see him play every day at a lesser club. But I’m okay with this.

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  18. I think he is the brightest talent ever produced by this country and he belongs in the first division. If he has to fight for playing time, so be it. The struggle can only be good for him. I don’t think we want him to contract a case of “landonitis” do we.

    Here’s to a hardened, fully developed, world class striker that the USA has been looking for.

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  19. If I’m not mistaken, Villareal are out of Copa Del Rey…is there another cup competition that I’m mixing it up with?

    In addition, Jozy is not on the Champions League roster…does that roster stay the same the whole campaign, or can they alter it before the knockout stages?

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  20. Villarreal has been eliminated from Copa del Rey but hopefully Jozy will be added to the Champions’ League roster for the knockout stages after the holidays.

    I think he’s in a pretty good situation. Learning in practice from solid veterans and still having a realistic shot at playing time now and then. Not bad for someone just turned 19!

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  21. Well – he played 77 minutes this weekend, and assuming he gets more opportunities like that in El Copa Del Rey, La Liga, and even Champs League…I don’t think I’d want him going anywhere else!

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  22. I love it!

    Did you see how well he played for the USA in their last game?

    If he gets the same amount of time hes been getting, he’ll still be a big contributer for the USA

    Reply

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