In case you haven’t seen it yet, here is my story on Jozy Altidore today on ESPN.com. It focuses on the growing sentiments that Altidore is losing focus and is developing poor training habits, perhaps as a result of being distracted by all the transfer speculation surrounding him, or as a result of him starting to buy into the hype.
The story came about after hearing from a myriad of very reliable sources about Altidore’s worsening training habits, and his attitude changing. This wasn’t meant as an indictment of him as a person, but rather a revelation that all the hype just might be getting to a kid who I honestly didn’t think could change from the humble and hard-working player he had been since joining MLS.
It is probably unfair to believe that a player of his age wouldn’t succumb to all the talk, and start believing it. Let’s face it, even if you were 25, let alone 18, and you started being linked to teams like Real Madrid and transfer prices like $10 million, you might start thinking you can do no wrong.
The issue is a very real one and perhaps Altidore will straighten himself out and get back to being the player so many have raved about the past two years. Right now though, his approach to the game is leaving a lot of people scratching their heads.
What do you think of the story. Share your thought below.