Photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
It is no secret that the U.S. national team's forward position is in a state of flux, and although a handful of strikers are fighting for their World Cup lives, Jozy Altidore isn't one of them.
Just 20-years old, Altidore is heading into his first World Cup and big performances are expected out of him if the United States is to have a chance of reaching the knockout rounds. Likely to be the youngest player on the field when England plays the Americans on June 12, Altidore sounds ready for the challenge.
"i don't want to take (my career) for granted, I don't," said Altidore. "I think sometimes the worst thing people can do is get complacent and I don't want to do that. I want to improve."
Altidore has been steadily improving since making his professional debut for the New York Red Bulls in 2006, but perhaps the biggest upgrades in his game have occurred in the past year. Since joining Hull City (on loan from Villarreal) last summer, Altidore has shown to be a more capable player, one that can draw fouls in dangerous spots, hold up the ball, and make smart passes. U.S. national team head coach Bob Bradley believes Altidore has made progress with his demeanor in practice, even if he isn't a finished product yet.
"As long as we have had Jozy in our national team, we've emphasized to him how important it is to train the right way," said Bradley. "Often times, young players, especially talented young players, that's something they need to understand as they move forward and I think its improved.
"I think he understands that that's the way it is. When you go to big clubs and see experienced guys who train that way all the time then you learn quickly that in order to establish yourself with your teammates and get on the field, that that's just the way it needs to be."
Altidore, who has scored eight times for his country through 24 games, admits that he feels part of the criticism stems from his laid back personality. Regardless, Altidore acknowledges that he needs to satisfy his coaches' requirements.
"I have to make sure I adjust to them and not them adjusting to me."
Altidore was not just criticized for the way he trained while with Hull. Along with drawing heat for scoring just one goal all season, Altidore was also labeled a diver by some pundits who felt some of the fouls he drew, which included several penalty kicks, were soft.
Altidore disagrees.
"If you're trying to pull off a play and there's contact that keeps you away from pulling off that play and you can't get to the ball and that'syour only other option is to take the contact then you take the contact," said Altidore. "If you can stay up, you stay up and try to continue the play."
While the fouls he suffered were a topic of conversation, it was a foul he committed that sparked much debate.
With Hull clinging on to its Premiership life, Altidore committed the worst of fouls when he retaliated to a ball being thrown at his head by head-butting an opponent. The result of his actions saw him sent off, leaving Hull City down a man and a goal with a half left to play against Sunderland.
Hull went on to lose that match and its status as a club in England's top flight, and shortly after, Altidore was shipped back to Villarreal. It was a bitter ending to Altidore's time with the club, where he saw his most significant playing time since moving to Europe in 2008. Nonetheless, Altidore still looks back at his time with Hull with fond memories.
"It was great. The intensity, everything, the level of play, the level of players you played against, which was a huge boost for me," said Altidore. "It made me realize a lot of things about myself. When you figure out what type of a person you're playing against it gives you that little confidence so I think it was real big for me to be able to do that."
That confidence and experience is what Altidore will hope to carry over into the World Cup, where he will have an opportunity to not only silence his critics, but show just how far he has already come at such a young age.
Hull was and is terrible in all those ways except one. The Tiger mascot. You can’t mess with tigers. Go to youtube and check out vids of tigers whippin’ up on lions. The only thing that might match a tigers strength is a liger.
OVERRATED!
Man. I hope every American player reads these comments with their hater blockers on.
Going into a world cup, I guess it is good US fans have become more critical, but a little bit of support would be pretty great. Even for those left at home.
Just hope they kill it. Step up for those on the pitch in 10, and those suffering the bitterness and disappointment of not making it, to step up even higher, train harder and build on it for 2014.
Back to your regularly scheduled program of hateration.
Tell that to Gerard Pique Iker Casillas.
Jozy is not a target man. Everyone needs to stop playing him like one. Watch a highlight reel.
/2cents.
Jozy is in the same boat as Landon was in his first WC. However Jozy is more known than LD was at the time. Let’s hope Jozy step it up like LD did.
Adu is the Benjamin Button of International Football.
I have lot less faith in Adu than I have in Altidore. I think he just lacks the physical tools needed to be a top level player.
inside the area, Jozy can improve on making slick, quick runs to free up space for himself and others, not that he sucks at it, but always improving on this aspect is but another path to greatness for this 20 year old
and those efforts need to be rewarded with service, with teammates looking for him in the area. his training habits, if improved as Bradley alludes to observing, will earn respect from the veterans and more service on the field from his club teammates; I hope he’s learned that. his comment about adjusting to them, not the other way around, makes me believe he’s gotten that one. we’ll see
that’s why he plays better for the USMNT at this point in his career I think; the mutual respect is deep, so the runs are there, as is the looks his way and the service.
These are fair questions at this point..
I’m a big fan of Jozy but you have to admit he’s no Tevez out there chasing defenders. And if you remember the final qualifying game, his heart was way into it and it made a difference.
32 or 20, Adu is backsliding into obscurity. He started with a top 30 European club, in Benfica. Next came middle of the road French club, Monaco. Then a bottom-feeding Portuguese team, now a mid-table Greek team.
Though a few go straight to the top, most 20 year olds that success in the end, go the opposite way of Adu, by moving up the food chain, not down….
Adu is at least 32 years old, well past his prime.
He will.
Ammen!! on the Feilhaber comment.
I personally would prefer to see benny & Bradley in the midfield (or Benny & Edu). Let Bradley play the defensive mid rol and Feilhaber the offensive role. Benny has too much skill to leave on the bench. Niether Edu & Bradley can match his ball skill and creativity.
Exactly we over think these things. Everyone tries to put on their psychology hat when the problem is that he is simply a 20 year old. Few guys are able to produce at a high level at 19 or 20 in the best leagues in the world. Just look at Mexico’s wonderkid Dos Santos he has been loaned out twice by Tottenham. Altidore would be a great player if he was back in the MLS and same for Dos Santos if he was still playing in Mexico. But, it will take some time for them to be major contributors in leagues like the EPL or La Liga.
There was an ESPN article about Luis Gil. A 17 year old kid at Real Salt Lake.
The writer started out saying how he is the next great American talent. See, this is the problem with us American fans. We think Jozy should be at a level beyond where he is developmentally.
I would suggest that everyone go look at Drogba’s Wikipedia entry and look at his goal production at Altidore’s age. You will be disappointed to learn that he was not the superstar he is today. Altidore has had more impact for clubs and country than Drogba did at his age.
Jozy’s value to both club and country will not start happening for another 2 years. He will start reaching his true potential come the next World Cup in 2014.
Freddy Adu is not a write off either. He has a couple of years before the write off can occur. If his time in Greece allows him to develop, let him develop.
from this post, it is clear you did not watch Jozy play much at Hull
Debbie Downer…geez Josh D
Bradley said he’s seen improvement in training…keep up man. and if you actually watched his games at Hull, he is anything but lazy on the field
If the guys doesn’t start playing within distance of the league inside his own head than he will never be anything beyond Kyle Rote 2.0
I’m with you J…no way did he even have 10 decent chances, much less sitters. I’m thinking Josh didn’t watch any games. Service from Hull was atrocious. The only player who seemed to compliment Jozy well was Hesserlink. But I still couldn’t wait to see Jozy play every chance I got…I was impressed most of the time.
Yeah, I thought that it was funny to pin Hull’s relegation on Jozy’s brainf@rt. I think he could hang with a middle tier premier club.
The good thing to come from this season is that Jozy will be starving for goals. Let’s hope he gets his fill in June.
Remembering that he’s 20 and not established in any club side at the moment, I think you have to be happy with whatever you get from Altidore in the offensive third this world cup, bearing in mind that it’s the world cup, not a friendly with Honduras. He has never seen that sort of pressure and he has yet to prove he’s up to it. For me, if he scores a goal at some point, that will be a success, and he can take that with him into 2014 when he hopefully will be a much better player.
You raise a good point about characterizations. I think that the take on Adu is not that he’s lazy, but that he’s really a 32 year old midget who is never going to play up to the hype. Altidore has been called lazy by his English Coach, so you are off the mark there too. Dempsey has scored against Brazil and Spain last year, and got the only goal in the last WCup. So, while he’s been accused of disappearing at times, the final narrative is not that he’s lazy. I am not accounting for what any one comment may say in Ives blog, but the idea that Americans are excusing our player’s ineptitude with the “lazy” tag is a bit over the top. Also, very few level headed writers are saying that these guys would be good enough for ManU, Barca, etc., even if they weren’t lazy. Which leaves us with the question of why are your putting us down? Getting nervous that your old men might not be able to beat us in a few weeks?
But I love the way you love me, Strong and wild, Slow and easy, Heart and soul, So completely. I love the way you love me
nope not buying it
“With Hull clinging on to its Premiership life, Altidore committed the worst of fouls when he retaliated to a ball being thrown at his head by head-butting an opponent.”
Didn’t Hull need to win that game like 28-0 to stay up?
Altidore’s headbutt was stupid because it ended his season, not because it hurt Hull. What hurt Hull is that they couldn’t score any goals, and refused to play Jozy more (yeah, he scored one but he created more, especially by drawing penalties which count the same as regular goals).
Hull is a terrible team, in a terrible city, with a terrible manager, terrible uniforms, a terrible stadium, and a terrible mascot. Good riddance!
Good read. Should have asked the killer question… “What’s next in your club future?”
Then we watched different games. With better finishing he easily could of gotten 10 goals this season.
“Jozy had plenty of opportunities and complete sitters” Watched almost every hull game and that statement is so untrue
I don’t care what you do.