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Altidore breaks Premier League goal drought with first half strike vs. Chelsea

JozyAltidoreSunderland1-Chelsea (AP)

By DAN KARELL

The long wait is over.

After going 1,205 minutes without a goal in the English Premier League, Jozy Altidore scored his first EPL goal of the season for Sunderland in the 14th minute on Wednesday against Chelsea. Altidore collected a pass from teammate Jack Colback in the box, spun to his right, and fired low past Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech with a left-footed shot to level the scoreline.

Altidore’s only previous goal for Sunderland came in a League Cup match in late August against Milton Keynes Dons. The U.S. Men’s National Team star moved to the English club last July from AZ Alkmaar in Holland for an undisclosed amount.

Here’s video of Altidore’s goal:

Comments

  1. I watched the MU v. Everton game and to me Lukaku had a game very much like Jozy has had so far this season…several poor first touches in good positions. Lukaku has 8 EPL goals (4th in the league) my point is this: players like Lukaku & Jozy rely on speed, movement and most of all power; I do not expect technical skill in the mold of Ronaldo, Messi, Suarez, Aguero or Clint for that matter. Both need midfield support to score goals consistently. Lukaku has it so far, Jozy has not….I hope Sunderland’s midfield improves!!!

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  2. From ESPN Soccernet’s Kristan Heneage:

    Altidore proves his worth

    There was an air of intrigue as the stadium announcer began to reel off the Sunderland starting eleven. The crescendo of cheers for Steven Fletcher has become something of a habit given his importance to the side and consistent attempts to elevate the club from the relegation zone.

    However, Poyet had a surprise in store for his former employers: Jozy Altidore.

    Poyet had stressed earlier in the week that his squad must not take a stay on the bench personally. With a congested period of fixtures in December, every man has a part to play in the great escape plan.

    Altidore’s role appeared to be that of the back-to-goal target man. Of the balls fed into his head, chest and feet — receiving the ball 21 times in the first half alone — the majority did not escape the American’s grasp. He bustled and toiled against John Terry and Gary Cahill, providing ample problems for both.

    Jozy Altidore’s first league goal for Sunderland came in his 12th game of the season.
    Yet more important than his buildup play, there was an end product. He had briefly tasted the feeling of scoring at the Stadium Of Light already, although the Capital One Cup falls a distant second to the Premier League in Sunderland’s priorities.

    Forced to wait just over 1,200 minutes for his first Premier League goal in red and white, the moment came when Altidore pounced on a rebound from Andrea Dossena’s free-kick.

    His smart turn was followed up with a powerful finish past Petr Cech, and the relief was palpable in his joy-fueled slide of celebration.

    While on U.S. duty recently, Altidore described himself as being “on the same page” with a lot of what Poyet had to say. Under Paolo Di Canio, he struggled to define himself as a striker.

    After tonight, the 24-year-old can lay claim to being the Black Cats’ target man and a very adept one, showing he is comfortable with the demanding physical battle that is, at times, the Premier League.

    Reply
    • Treating Jozy as a pure target forward has really done him a disservice. Every manager plays him that way just because he’s big and strong. The reality is that while he has developed passable target skills, his real strengths are going at goal and working combinations. He was able to do that a fair amount at AZ, but Sunderland hasn’t used him that way at all.

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  3. Glad he finally scored. It was getting embarrassing.

    Can we go ahead and face the truth? When it comes to top-flight and international soccer, Altidore is a big mediocre striker. Hopefully we’ll get some better prospects for the US team – Altidore certainly isn’t going to take anyone to the next level. Most Sunderland fans think he’s crap.

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    • Sunderland fans are idiots and clueless. I do not in any way, shape or form, mean that as some flippant, ad hominem attack. It is the truth.

      They, to this very minute, are carrying on in their forums about how Fletcher is the better striker and hasn’t performed well due to service, while Jozy is garage and isn’t up to the EPL, despite evidence or reality or facts. Both have struggled for the same reasons; the team is garage. The different is Fletcher is great in the air; Jozy is great at everything else, whether it be hold-up play, winning free kicks, run-of-the-play attacks, passing, shielding the ball with his body or harassing defenders. Not to mention Jozy is faster, stronger and younger.

      Jozy is all class and his goal today proved it. It was a pinpoint one touch silky soft turn scored on his weak foot after winning the free kick in the first place. You may not like that fact, which is fine, but it doesn’t change reality. Jozy is a top-flight striker who is hated on due to being an American. Jozy is one of the USMNT’s top players and is the closest we have ever come to having a world-class striker and is proving it day in and day out.

      Enough with the Jozy hate, it’s gotten old.

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      • “Jozy is a top-flight striker” ?
        Since when is scoring a grand total of one goal make you a great striker when the purpose of a striker is to score. Was he also a top-flight striker when he had no goals in La Liga season or 2nd division side Xerez, One goal for Hull in league play, and 1 for Bursaspor? Jozy had a great season with AZ, but top scorers there don’t seem to shine in top leagues. He is a good player, but top class “striker” is a stretch.

    • So he scores against the team currently sitting in 2 place of the EPL and we all should just take that as the sign that he’ll never progress. Its clearly time to move on to the unknown fantasy striker.

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  4. I knew it!

    The one Sunderland game I wasn’t going to be able to watch and Jozy scores. I know this would happen.

    GET SOME JOZY!!

    Look at his face after he scores. That is what we want to see out of him. This is great for him.

    Also, can we cut with the “jozy sucks” business? This goal is all the proof one needs; he is an EPL goal scorer. The positioning was perfect, his spin was sharp and his finishing was perfect. All class from a great player. I bet JK is going to be happy now. Let’s go see what the Sunderland boards have to say now…

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  5. Sky Sports rated Altidore an 8 and provided the blurb that it was ‘surely’ Jozy’s ‘best game in a Sunderland shirt.’ Encouraging.

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  6. So, how’s it that Altidore’s one goal is as if he’s now out of the woods. As the German saying goes: “Eine Schwalbe macht noch keinen Sommer [One swallow doesn’t make a summer]. It seems some players are anointed. I still remember how a few years ago (3? 4?) the Galaxy were at the bottom of the MLS table and they were fighting for a spot in the play-offs that eventually gave them their win. The only reason they won was Robbie Keane. He was hired just for the play-offs after the season ended.

    All I am saying about all this is good players are good even if they don’t score on command. Look at Torres at Chelsea. He hasn’t scored much and he is still considered a good player. The only thing I am asking is this: Is Chris Wondolowski given the same shot as Altidore?

    Reply
      • I am saying that judging a player has to be done looking at the whole picture. Altidore is a good player. But so is Wondo. If Altidore takes this long to score a goal at Sunderland, next to last in the BPL, and Dempsey has not scored a bona fide goal at Seattle, but Wondo has scored several great goals during 2013, shouldn’t they all be given the benefit of the doubt?

      • Interesting equation. I would just say is one thing you’re not taking into account is Wondo has been on the same team for years. They know how to use him, the runs he is going to make ect. You could drop him into a different MLS team even and I’m not sure how Wondo would react. Coming into a new team is often difficult for many players.

      • This isnt some admissions policy. Its about who performs. Bottom line, is Altidore has performed for the Nats since day one. Wando hasnt. If Wando is so good, why arent teams in la liga, eredivisie or the premier league trying to sign him, as theyve done Altidore?

    • I agree completely. Wondolowski is the superior soccer player and human being. If Wondolowski played on Sunderland I’m sure he would have doubled, tripled, duodecupled Alitdore’s pathetic scoring record.

      Hell, Wondolowski flies fighter jets and mentors autistic children in his spare time. Jozy does what? Get Dutch babies named after him?

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      • That’s “Manchmal kann die Sonne keinen Sommer machen”. But that the case everywhere. And then the goals have to be scored in rain.

  7. This goal is really pretty similar to his (non) goal against Arsenal where he bossed Sagna. His ability to shield with his body and turn is truly top class. He consistently draws fouls in dangerous areas with it.

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  8. Personally I’m glad Altidore took on this challenge. Sure he could have scored 30 more goals in the Dutch league but he wasn’t really going to get the chance to score against teams like Chelsea there. It’s still going to be a long frustrating year but I think him fighting through this will only make him better.

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    • I think it will happen if a) he keeps getting good minutes and b) the midfield keeps playing the way it did tonight (and improving). That’s really the biggest factor – he can’t do it all on his own.

      I hope the haters will eat it. You have a poor understanding of the game if you think the performance of the rest of the team doesn’t affect the striker. Yes, individual moments of brilliance are needed from great players, but you can’t do it all the time or rely on it to carry your team.

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  9. even better he bossed Terry to score it. drew the free kick before the goal as well. and drew the free kick that led to the corner in which Sunderland scored their 3rd goal. love to see that level of effort.

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    • to be fair Terry was slightly out of position because of the deflection but it was a fantastic goal by Jozy, shows what he can do when he gets in the right spots, he looked like Kevin McHale in the paint on that goal.

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  10. Watched the match. Sunderland as a whole played very well – showed they can take it to another team and score goals. Still need to work on teamwork/finding one another, and there are a few (ahem Johnson…) who stuck out as poor. If they keep playing like this, though, they will pull out of relegation.

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  11. To be fair this is the 2nd goal Altidore has scored, the first was (almost criminally) wrongfully disallowed because Jozy was fouled on his way to scoring.

    Reply
    • THANK YOU!!!

      Jozy’s first goal had me in a psychotic fit screaming at my ProBook for about 10 minutes straight. I was shocked by the ref that day.

      I haven’t seen the goal yet but I will be watching it in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3….

      GET SOME JOZY!!!!!

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  12. It would appear according to the footage provided that Jozy’s goal put Sunderland up, rather than “to level the scoreline”. Am I missing something?

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      • If you were told you would get $10 million but the catch is that you would be in really bad form going into the World Cup, would it be worth it?

      • I’m 67; I wish I had made $10 million in my whole life. Average worker salary in the US right now is something like $27,000 and average family income is $50,000 per year and that has actually dropped in the last few years. Even $1 million in 20 years would look good to most people.

      • If he has stayed at AZ and was scoring 30 goals everyone would just say “well the defending in the Dutch league is awful. “This isn’t going to translate against better defenders”. I think this challenge will only make him better.

      • I doubt he makes $10 million since Ibra makes around $13 million, and Ibra is one of the highest paid guys in Europe (along with Bale/Messi/Ronaldo).

      • I was able to catch a good bit of the game on a stream, and I must say Altidore could still have a great experience in Sunderlan this year. The team is playing pretty well now, they’re fighting for survival, and he’s having to fight for a job. That could be a recipe for improvement from Jozy.

      • great players would make the difference regardless. if c.ronaldo went there he would still be successful. As many DPs are successful in MLS

      • I don’t think he’s a great player or anywhere near Cristiano Ronaldo’s level. He’s is a good striker that has potential. He’s not a player that can create goals on his own like a Dempsey, he needs midfield support. Hopefully this is a sign of more goals to come. I was surprised how some were predicting Altidore to light up the Premeir League this year. It takes time to settle into a new league and some players don’t settle. Bryan Ruiz and Alfonso Alves led the Dutch League in scoring nad weren’t able to score much in the EPL.

      • Moving to a different and higher league, success the first year is an exception, not the rule. Many, many examples of that. Even in MLS you have Tim Cahill who moved down and did nothing his first half season and then this year did very well. Giroud for Arsenal last year seemed like a bust, I think he has something like 8 goals already this year. Lamela had 16 goals last year for Roma, in a comparable league. He has only started a couple of games and I don’t think he has any EPL goals, only one outside of league. I could give a dozen examples just off the top of my head.

      • Altidore was almost pushed out the door by AZ, who wanted the crazy $$ that Sunderland offered. Di Canio was enamored with Altidore, but overspent and would have been better served looking for some better midfielders and wingers. (yea, hindsight is 20/20) I did not think that Altidore would be a good fit at Sunderland, as DiCanio was to have him on top alone, a position Altidore had not yet mastered. (but now is just beginning to “get it” ) So far, none of the EPL managers have yet to really tap into Altidore’s talent and provide the right motivation. much less adequate service.

        He will be extremely lucky (or good) to score 10 goals this season for Sunderland as they are not really good enough to be in the EPL.

    • I guess you think that the voters who selected him as US player of the year don’t know anything about the game. Or perhaps you are the problem.

      Reply

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