What's Your Take on the Jozy Altidore Situation? Will He Be Ready for Brazil?
Jozy Altidore scored eight goals in 14 appearances for the U.S. in 2013 and was named the federation's Male Athlete of the Year. But it has been a true struggle at Sunderland, where Altidore has scored just one goal in 25 league appearances and is now playing with the club's reserves. Will he bounce back in time for the World Cup? Graph your position below.
Posted
April 12, 2014 12:34 PM
April 12, 2014 12:34 PM
Altidore is America's best striker
He's overrated—bench him
Sunderland is to blame—bad situation
Poor form is all Jozy's Fault
I
I Believe
I Believe That
I Believe That We
I Believe That We Will
I Believe That We Will Win
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AO Jupiter
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Jozy=GOD
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Socrates
Jozy has all the tools to be the US' best striker on any give day. I realize Sunderland is terrible and he is in a terrible situation, but all season he hasn't even tried. I mean come on, not even in the 18 anymore!!!!!!
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Jason
No one is giving him the service he needs. He is not a player that creates opportunities with his back to the goal. He needs passes hitting him in stride.
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aw
He just needs to get his confidence back
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Tnikundiwe
As talented as we think Johannson(sp) is (and I think VERY highly of him), Jozy is still the most proven ST we have on the international level.
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@japatrick200
Think he'll be fine come June. Stuck in a lousy situation at the moment but a good WC showin could hopefully reopen some doors for him
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Josmier
...
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Ben Harrell
MESSI COULDNT SCORE WITH A SHIT TEAM LIKE SUNDERLAND
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REGGIE
He's better than this, but needs to show a better attitude. Lethergy is controllable.
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Jozy
Jozy starts and does well in Brazil. Sunderland are shit
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Matt
I think Jozy and his club are equally to blame for his poor form, but he's still the best striker the US has got in its current system. He has more minutes than AJ in a USMNT shirt and its too late now to switch our starting #9.
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zach_h
Jozy is my guy, we talk back and forth about hip hop music quite often. I remember when we went out for lunch. I ordered the bacon cheeseburger.
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Ives
Go Jozy!
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Lucas
Nearly impossible to stand out on such a crap team. Aron J. would look just as out of form in the same horrible circumstances.
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Noses Malone
Jozy has a lot of talent, when used in the right system, with another forward. Think 4-4-2
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coachris
ugh if only he were a regular!
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jt
No striker is scoring for sunderland. Sunderland is to blame. Jozy is are best option to hold up the play and distribute to others. He needs to work on his ball hawking skills.
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Dustin
If Emmanuel Giaccherini, a fairly established Italian player, fails to make an impact on your team, then I have no idea how anybody could say Jozy should have done better.
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Jackedandtan
Still nervous.
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Luke
Sunderland is a dumpster fire. Unless you're messi you're not scoring goals there now
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Michael D
Altidore can't do much to prove himself when he's not in the 18 - the situation at Sunderland is disastrous. That said, he has not looked very good...
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Daniel
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Grant Wagman
While the situation at Sunderland is partially to blame, I feel Jozy has worked through the lack of scoring by improving other facets of his game (hold up play, assisting others who move into the space he has created, tracking back, etc). He's still the best we have and will join the WC squad as a more well-rounded and mature player, albeit with low confidence.
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Nick Kariuki
If we play a 4-2-3-1 I can't see playing anyone else in the lone striker role even if its not his best role. If we do 4-4-2 Dempsey would get one slot and I still think Jozy gets the other over AJ for now.
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wandmdave
If we play with one striker then there isn't anyone else we have better. Honestly Sunderland gave him very few opportunities to score. Johannsson gets alot and he hasn't always been clinical.
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Jeff
it is jozy's fault for moving to Sunderland and it is sunderlands fault for sucking. if altidore was on a better team, he would be scoring. still, he's not just gonna get back on form without playing on the right team. looks like his poor form might carry over to the world cup unfortunately.
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usmnt fan
All Sunderland strikers have been terrible this year. Gus Poyet's system isolates the strikers sooo much. Jozy has been poor, but I don't think you can to from a huge year for AZ with 31 goals and a huge summer for the USA with 8 goals to 1 league goal for Sunderland, without it being the team. He wasn't injured. Sure confidence plays a role, but he looks better when he's with the US. I also think if the US plays 4-1-3-2 with Dempsey as a withdrawn forward and Bradley as a CAM, Altidore will get tons of service.
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Alex
He has been playing bad while in a bad situation. The back to the goal style won't work for Sunderland with such a lack of help once the ball starts moving forward.
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BruceFaks
For as bad as Sunderland is, not making the 18 for a bad team means something too. But the PL is brutal and unforgiving. Weaknesses get exposed and taken advantage of. You can only do so much as a striker when the 10 behind you aren't providing opportunities. But when opportunities arise they must be capitalized on.
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Paze
He should have never gone to Sunderland in the first place and I think they shoulder more of the blame, but we've seen Jozy do so much better. I think he'll be OK at the WC, but I don't think he'll score.
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Mark
He's been in bad form, but it's not like anyone has else been scoring either. That midfield is terrible. He's still the best we got (depending on what you consider Dempsey) and he'll be fine in Brazil.
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Nick Judge
Bad team, bad midfield, and bad run of form. Jozy used to be center of attack, but Sunderland not playing like that.
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Jon
Sunderland are awful and anyone playing on that team is going to look terrible. I still believe Jozy is the best striker for the way the USMNT plays. If anything good comes out of this, I am sure he will be HUNGRY when he gets to Brazil.
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Ey
Sunderland to blame mostly but at the level he purports to play, gotta be able to shake off tough situations
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juicy sherman
good striker accountable for his own form.
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Gray Hobbs
Play Johannson & Altidore a half each in the lead up friendlies. Whoever performs better should get the start. Jozy hasn't looked good but he had the exact same season for AZ a year ago. Wish he'd stayed there another year. I want to say start Johannson but he hasn't produced much for the USMNT yet. If Jozy doesn't score a couple in the lead up friendlies, it's hard to say "start him anyway"
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ChelseaMatt
Jozy doesn't thrive as a lone striker, which is what Poyet uses him as. He'll need Dempsey, who is the best US striker, to combine with. If he doesn't shape up quickly, ArJo will snatch up his starting spot in Brazil.
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Matt C
All mental for Jozy. One of our best strikers, competetiveness of the other strikers being called up for Brazil will get him back on track.
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Sage
Still our best striker but honestly how can he (or we) have any confidence in what he's going to do in Brazil? Sunderland is a mess (note to EPL clubs: don't hire fascist lunatics as managers) but Jozy has to bear some responsibility too. Take a sad song and make it better? He hasn't come close to doing that.
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Brian
X
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Bill
Crap side
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cam
I blame his agent.
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Bill Anderson
Combo off all
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Anthony
I wouldn't want to play for Sunderland. If Jozy was on Chelsea or Liverpool he would see more space and better service.
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BartelsPhoto
Terrible situation for Jozy, but I'm not sure that he's America's best striker anymore with ArJo and Dempsey playing well. One thing's for sure - Altidore is certainly not in form going to Brazil, and that spells trouble for the USMNT.
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BDM
As a result of Jozy's form, Johannson deserves a chance. Sunderland is terrible and he cannot be blamed for all of his struggles though. He needs to get his swagger back from when he went off against Bosnia.
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Nick
So he earned a PK, he's going to be counted on to do more in Brazil. That being said, Sunderland could have had 3 if they found him earlier late in the game. What his teammate was waiting for on that pass is beyond me
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PMacD82
Crapperland
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U
I suppose I feel exactly in the middle...
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Sean
Simple you start Johannsson for the USMNT and bench Jozy.
It has been both Altidore and Sunderlands combined problems.
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Toxic Avenger
Sunderland is a mess but they clearly don't believe in him.
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Jay F
Sunderland is easily at fault here, coaching carousel, no service to any striker, poor team chemistry given the downward spiral. But none of this should really have been a huge shock given their history.
Jozy still has plenty of promise, but Sunderland was a poor choice. At this stage he would be better in Germany or Italy I think. Or hell, even France.
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unsane1
Jozy is just a good young striker in a new environment and out of form. I think if he does not reach a decent form within the games building up he should be benched.
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Its no one's fault
When I heard Jozy was moving to Sunderland, I was confused that people were so excited. I guess all they heard was that he was moving to the premier league. Jozy's great, but he was never going to "save" a club like Sunderland. He could've been an asset to a mid-table club, or even come off the bench for a top club, but Jozy is not the type of player that changes an entire team for the better. I'm not ready to say bench him, as it's too early to say that bad club form has translated to bad national team form, but if we reach the World Cup and Jozy isn't producing or contributing, we can't afford not to bench him.
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Geo
meh
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Chris
Shouldn't have left a good situation for a bottom feeder team like Sunderland. Strikers need service.
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J
no service
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Kal
no support for jozy they are ruining him!
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M
Not our best striker. I'd start green over him.
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Kurt
He has been and will be better than he is playing now. At this point he looks like a player that has lost all confidence.
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Andy
Bad team, bad formation, not that great of a player to begin with.
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Xose
work rate too low
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mike
Jozy is a striker who isn't premier league quality playing for a shit team.
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Lugia
N/A
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Drew
He's simply has not produced. Less than 60 days from WC he should be peaking, not sitting.
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Johnny
We can't afford to carry him around. His supporters are out of excuses. He is ok against Concacaf but we are playing Germany, Portugal and Ghana at the World Cup and recently Altidore could get nowhere against Scotland, Austria and Ukraine much as he is out of his league in the EPL.
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Excellency
He doesnt have the pace and work rate on the pitch.
He will end up in the MLS where the talent pool is more at his level.
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Ken
Really do not like him. At all
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Garutti
i hate us soccer. i never miss an opportunity to whine about how bad our players look and how shitty they all are. i know tactics so good and also i know words good.
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suzanne19
This person hates US Soccer, so she spends all her time on a US Soccer website.
Haters logic
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Crazy history channel aliens guy
Skidmarks
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Bisharpetron Bizkwiq
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ferris
