Jozy Altidore

talking robot said:
When you look at the number of trophies he's won (although in MLS and CONCACAF, it's still a high number) it's hard to question his work ethic. When he plays for the national team, his desire to win is pretty evident as well. Not choosing to play in Europe doesn't mean he has a poor work ethic on the field. I don't know why it didn't work out for him in Leverkusen, but it could just as easily been down to lifestyle and him being home sick as work ethic.
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Please look at his work ethic against quality sides. Where is he when the US plays the likes of England/ Spain/ etc. Where was he in the last WC? Disappeared, the only reason he's doing well this season is Beckham.

He's the leading goal scorer yes BUT look at who he's scored against and how many are from PKs. I've quoted statistics in a thread months ago but basically most of his goals are against far far weaker sides then the US.

CONCACAF comes down the Mexico, US and Canada and to be fair Canada should of beaten the US if it wasn't for questionable refereeing..

Saying he chose family over playing is an easy way to get away from the fact he's scared and doesn't have the heart to be the player he could be. Doesn't help he's a big girl about things. When Beckham was bought by LA Donovan had the nerve to say seriously he'd let Beckham take "SOME of the corners and free kicks"...

To say he's top 5 in the MLS and then compare that he couldn't make Europe is unfair on the MLS. The last few batches of US players to head to European have done quite well, Beasley has been over for some time, Dempsey has earned good reviews, Bradley has done amazing in the Netherlands, Adu has scored 3 goals in what 7 games? Ya Johnson hasn't had a go but he will next season, Boca (who knows how to spell it) did do well but was cut at the end of the day. When Donovan was over there things were a bit tougher and most people thought little of US players BUT it does say something that he didn't stay and fight like Beasley or McBride but whimpered away.
 
davisjw said:
Saying he chose family over playing is an easy way to get away from the fact he's scared and doesn't have the heart to be the player he could be. Doesn't help he's a big girl about things. When Beckham was bought by LA Donovan had the nerve to say seriously he'd let Beckham take "SOME of the corners and free kicks"...
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he was joking :rolleyes:

How do you know he's scared? It's kinda ridiculous how people simply assign feelings to him because they can't comprehend someone choosing family over sport.

His wife, his mom, his sister, his friends - all were living in LA. He was playing well for Leverkusen btw. He had ONE poor match - against the champions of Europe, already down 3 - 1. Every other match he played for Leverkusen, he did well. Check the kicker ratings out yourself if you'd like. The local media was basically saying Donovan looked like a star in making.

After not playing for like 4 straight matches and publicly being made the scapegoat by the coach for the return leg against Pool (in a world cup qualifying year mind you), Donovan leaped on an opportunity that was in place in his contract, that allowed him to be sold to MLS. He had the chance to go home, and make a ton of money. Ain't nothing wrong with that.

And btw - he's got a pulled groin. It forced him to come off early in his last MLS match before England, forced him to sit out the MLS match after England, and forced him to miss Spain even though he decided to travel there in the hopes of playing.
 
talking robot said:
I agree that Donovan isn't United caliber, but he'd do ok at high midtable side like Everton, Blackburn, or Tottenham.
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Strongly doubt it. He couldn't hack it in Germany, and when he had a chance to prove his quality at the last World Cup, he stunk. Having one outfield player with the Everton-level class would have made a big difference for us two years ago. But we didn't have one, and Donovan will likely never be one as long as he plays his competitive football in such an inferior league.

He's welcome to that goalscoring record, but it doesn't mean he's competitive on an elite international level. I think the old record holder was Eric Wynalda, who was and is a complete tool. It's not like he took it away from Romario, or Henry. And in a side like ours, having just a little bit of class means you're a lock for the starting 11 for about ten years. Cobi Jones had 164 caps for heaven's sake.
 
GAngel said:
Alwaysredwood or whatever the feck the gimp's name is will be along shortly. Donovan and the galaxy are like his love child. Don't try and reason with him using logic or facts he doesn't actually understand football just a poser.
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Actually, I'm not a Donovan fan. And you continue to be wrong about everything regarding me.

Kudos.
 
MrMarcello said:
That's only if he's willing to work for his spot instead of knowing he's first choice on a teamsheet, which is the sole reason of him being in the US. He seriously lacks the internal willingness to fight against quality competition. I don't begrudge him during his first stint in Germany since he was merely a teenager and probably did face some bias being an American, but his second stint was his inability to fight for a spot. So he whined to the USSF and MLS to get him back to mommy and daddy in sunny California.

He's talented enough to be at least a role player for those sides you mention but his work ethic isn't up to par for success. I'd go even further and say had he had the desire to compete versus expecting things to just be handed to him on a silver platter, he could have gone on to be a class player. Probably not world class but definitely a good player. He has good vision and is a good passer. I'd imagine someone like Wenger or SAF could have molded him into a man and maybe instilled some desire in him - but only if he had the desire to do such, which he obviously does not. He was the golden boy for the US since age 16 and became a primadonna.
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He has the talent to be fantastic, but has the internal strength of a child.

feck him.

His first few games with Beckham, he was just sulking around the field. It was pathetic to watch.
 
talking robot said:
When you look at the number of trophies he's won (although in MLS and CONCACAF, it's still a high number) it's hard to question his work ethic. When he plays for the national team, his desire to win is pretty evident as well. Not choosing to play in Europe doesn't mean he has a poor work ethic on the field. I don't know why it didn't work out for him in Leverkusen, but it could just as easily been down to lifestyle and him being home sick as work ethic.
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I can answer that, having spoken to him about it. He hated the rigidness of the German team. They all had to eat the same food, do the same thing, etc. He was really put off one day when he asked to stay after training to work on shooting or something and they said no. And he dislikes Germany quite a bit.

Now, that's what he says. But his switch came after the coach pulled him in the 51st minute during a loss. Something that would never happen to the precious baby in US football or the MLS.

I agree with this completely:
MrMarcello said:
He became "home sick" because he wasn't playing and whined to MLS and USSF. I lost much respect for him. He'd rather be the big fish in a small pond (more like small bowl of water) than fight for his spot in Europe. It's pretty much the opposite of what most Americans strive for - respect and a willingness to succeed. He chose the easy way out. Where as guys like Lewis, McBride, Friedel, etc., stuck it out in Europe despite the odds.
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AlwaysRedwood said:
Actually, I'm not a Donovan fan. And you continue to be wrong about everything regarding me.

Kudos.
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Would LA Galaxy be better off using Donovan's salary to finance several good players instead? It seems they have a couple of stars and too many weak players, whereas the other teams are more balanced, even though they don't have million dollar players.
 
surf said:
Would LA Galaxy be better off using Donovan's salary to finance several good players instead? It seems they have a couple of stars and too many weak players, whereas the other teams are more balanced, even though they don't have million dollar players.
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Well the problem isn't Donovan, it's the fact that The Galaxy have three players who take up the team's salary. One should go, for sure, but Donovan would be the last of the three I'd get rid of. I don't think the team needs Ruiz. The salary cap is $2.3 million. Donovan, Beckham and Ruiz total $1.2 million toward the cap. That's three players taking up 1/2 the salary.

The problem is the ownership. The team will never be that good because the owners are clueless about football. They helped create MLS, with the idea of building stadiums and creating a new league. To them it's about money and nothing else. They are shockingly stupid.
 
He has signed for Villarreal for a fee of $6.5m.
 
Quite excited by this. Villareal is a club well capable of developing his talent.
 
Having a great season in the Eredivisie but ugliness reared it's head in Hertogenbosch when racist chants were directed at Jozy. Referee actually tried to call the match off at halftime but AZ players, particularly Altidore, implored the ref to let the game continue. Eventually, however, it was called off during the 2nd half where AZ were leading 5-0 against Den Bosch
 
Good on Jozy to continue. I didn't think the Netherlands had racism like that. Did he score in the 5-0 win?

He has really developed while with AZ. Let's see if he can translate it to the US team in a week.
 
The Dutch league is a perfect fit for him. Don't think he's got the all around game or goal scoring ability that would transfer to one of the big leagues (maybe Italy) but he's going to grow in confidence playing there and that could be massive for the USA. If he can become more disciplined and learn to use his athleticism, he could be back on track to becoming the player it looked like he may become at 18.
 
AZ just bought an Icelandic striker, a 22 year old who's the current top scorer in the Danish Superliga. Funny thing is that he hasn't been called up yet and can be called up to represent the US so in a way he can take Altidore's spot away in two teams. But he won't though. He'll pick Iceland.
 
davisjw said:
Good on Jozy to continue. I didn't think the Netherlands had racism like that. Did he score in the 5-0 win?

He has really developed while with AZ. Let's see if he can translate it to the US team in a week.
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Just got the pk but otherwise has been having a phenomenal season
 
forevrared said:
I think Klinnsmann will make a strong push to get Johannsson to play for us.
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He's already made a verbal promise to Lagerbäck. He will most likely be called up for the next match.
He's progressed very well so far but that's really a discussion for another thread.

Americans seem to be often late bloomers when they move over to Europe. Feels like they need more help getting integrated wherever they go. Unless you make good friends straight away then you're bound to have some problems settling in. You're a long way from home and unlike the S-Americans you most likely won't find a compatriot there ahead of you and you probably grew up in more stable environment, although who can say if that's better for you or not when settling in alone.
 
davisjw said:
Good on Jozy to continue. I didn't think the Netherlands had racism like that. Did he score in the 5-0 win?

He has really developed while with AZ. Let's see if he can translate it to the US team in a week.
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It doesn't take many to convey racism onto the pitch. By the sound of it, it isn't a huge problem. Ref and players took note of it straight away.

Who knows how often it happens across Europe in general. We pretty much rely on posters, like Barca, from different countries to come out with these stories.
I'm of no use since my league is played during the summer and people wouldn't bat a single eyelid hearing news from it.
 
Sunderland seem to have got him. He's one of a few of strikers I'd be interested in us (Everton) getting.
 
I seem to recall him catching the eye at the 2009 Confederations Cup. Too old for TheNeviller to roll out his running "Raw potential" gag.
 
SilentWitness said:
Sunderland seem to have got him. He's one of a few of strikers I'd be interested in us (Everton) getting.
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Perhaps a seemingly lazy comparison but Jozy reminds me of Welbeck. I hope Altidore does well in the Premiership, I think there's quality there
 
I used to call him Dozy Altidore when he played for hull. Looked completely disinterested and useless
 
FCBarca said:
Perhaps a seemingly lazy comparison but Jozy reminds me of Welbeck. I hope Altidore does well in the Premiership, I think there's quality there
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:lol: Have you ever seen Jozy play? He's very different. He's pretty slow and doesn't work nearly as hard as Welbeck. He's a better finisher than Danny and holds the ball up well.
 
Sir Matt said:
:lol: Have you ever seen Jozy play? He's very different. He's pretty slow and doesn't work nearly as hard as Welbeck. He's a better finisher than Danny and holds the ball up well.
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Yeah there are no real similarities at all.
 
Ekeke said:
That comparison is verging on racist. Gallas and Obama are similar players too
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Obama plays football? Is Barack the same age, height, position or style as Gallas too? Wish I could say you were verging on a logical conclusion to what I posted - but I can't

And from my recollection of the player, he has speed and excellent touch & skills with the ball along with the size to hold the ball up very effectively. Something I saw lots of from Welbeck but sure, it must be racist
 
FCBarca said:
Obama plays football? Is Barack the same age, height, position or style as Gallas too? Wish I could say you were verging on a logical conclusion to what I posted - but I can't

And from my recollection of the player, he has speed and excellent touch & skills with the ball along with the size to hold the ball up very effectively. Something I saw lots of from Welbeck but sure, it must be racist
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Too much meth

Welbeck is a rangy, mobile, versatile (can play wide) hardworker who likes to get involved in linkup play

Altidore is a big lump, very strong, not very mobile, doesn't get involved, questionable workrate but holds the ball up well


They are both black and have slightly questionable goalscoring records overall. Thats about all you've managed to grasp it seems

Altidore is far closer to Emile Heskey than Danny Welbeck
 
Sir Matt said:
Clearly we've watched two different players.
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Well, apart from parts of last season, I hadn't seen him since he was in Spain and early in his US NT career. I missed that whole section of his young career that seemed to stall and he was on the fringe of the NT
 
duffer said:
Who is the best young US player now? Any real hopes or just more Freddy Adus?
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I think Michael Bradley is probably our best player now and he's about 24. He'd do a job for a top half club in the center.

Our youth teams are promising though, players like Joe Corona, Luis Gil, Josh Gatt, Sebastien Lleget (@ WHU) & Jack McInerney look interesting. I think they'll all make it at various levels for us.

There's also the growing German-American contingent of Fabian Johnson, Tim Chandler, & John Anthony Brooks who will undoubtedly be major players for us.
 
He didnt really show up until last season when he scored like 30 goals and did well for the national team last month. But I think his level is still better than Sunderland. Maybe Newcastle? Swansea? Everton?
 
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