By IVES GALARCEP
American fans woke up on Sunday morning hoping to see one of their favorites potentially lift a trophy, but by the time the Capital One Cup Final was over, those fans were only left with questions about one of the U.S. Men’s National Team’s most important players.
Jozy Altidore failed to make the 18-man roster for Sunderland’s 3-1 League Cup loss to Manchester City on Sunday, raising fresh questions about his status with the English Premier League squad.
Altidore was dropped in favor of Steven Fletcher and Ignaccio Scocco, who were Sunderland’s forward options on the bench, with Fabio Borini given the start as the lone striker.
Sunderland took a 1-0 lead into halftime, but three unanswered Manchester City goals left the Black Cats beaten.
What next for Altidore?
He will join the USMNT in Germany for training camp ahead of the friendly against Ukraine on Wednesday. After that, he will be faced with an uphill battle to regain his place at the top of Sunderland’s depth chart. With three months to go before the World Cup, Altidore needs to find regular playing time in order to not only ensure match fitness, but also to try and find some success to boost his confidence heading toward Brazil.
What do you think of this development? See Altidore fighting his way back into the rotation? Think it’s time for Jurgen Klinsmann to start considering other starting forward options.
Share your thoughts below.