By IVES GALARCEP
Jozy Altidore continued his goal-scoring ways in the Dutch Eredivisie on Sunday, netting a hat-trick during AZ Alkmaar’s 6-0 win vs. FC Utrecht.
Altidore scored all three goals in one nine-minute span, with two penalty kicks and a header doing the damage as Utrecht drew two red cards to fall down to nine men.
The goals push Altidore’s season total to 28 in all competitions, the largest single-season goal total for an American player in Europe. Interestingly enough, Altidore’s latest hat-trick comes just days after AZ manager Gertjen Verbeek stated publicly that he expects Altidore to leave via transfer this summer. That seems more and more inevitable with every multi-goal game he registers.
The three goals in nine minutes set a new team record for fastest hat-trick, breaking a 35-year-old record.
Altidore wasn’t the only American-born player to score for AZ. Aron Johansson, who was born in Alabama and raced in Iceland, netted his first goal for AZ with a last-minute finish.
The victory was an important one for AZ, which moved six points clear of the relegation playoff zone in the Dutch League.
Here are the highlights of Altidore’s hat-trick (and the rest of AZ’s goals):
What did you think of Altidore’s hat-trick? Could you have imagined him scoring 28 goals this year? What league would you like to see him move to this summer?
Share your thoughts below.