Maybe it's just me, but hasn't this been a rather quiet "silly season"? Aside from the Real Madrid money press snatching up stars and Manchester City linked with every single player alive, it's been rather dull. (Not that I mind.)
Look at England's 'Big Four'. Michael Owen? Zuri Zhirkov? Thomas Vermaelen? Glenn Johnson?
Slow going, but unfortunately other than in Liverpool's case I doubt its due to some kind of financial restraint.
On the other hand, it's quickly become a good summer for U.S. internationals in light of the Confederations Cup. Who would have thought Oguchi Onyewu would go from either Birmingham City or some far-flung Turkish team to AC Milan, which despite all its warts is still the AC Milan. And over the weekend breakout forward Charlie Davies shoved off from Sweden and landed at Sochaux, which is an excellent move -- look at all the French strikers around the globe.
That brings us to Jozy Altidore, who over the weekend was linked heavily to a move to Olympiakos. (Nothing seems set in stone, with a couple sources seemingly jumping the gun.)
So, the question this morning is a simple one -- where should Jozy go?
Personally, trying to break away from Villareal seems a little premature, though it seems there are some issues going on behind the scenes which have strained the relationship between Altidore and the club.
Consider this, 1) Nihat is back in Turkey; 2) At any second a guy in Arab robes could show up at Aeroport Castello with a couple sacks labed "$$$" and fly off with Guiseppe Rossi to the City of Manchester Stadium; 3) Altidore can't push fringe Spanish international Llorente?
The one downside to sticking at Villareal is that the Yellow Submarine missed out on 2009-10 Champions League, though playing through a Spanish season isn't too shabby.
Whatever's next for Altidore is a tricky and at the same time critical move. If he's not playing at whichever club he ends up with for the season, he's not playing at the 2010 World Cup.
Should this be a concern? Well, not if you're a Brian Ching fan. If you've watched the Gold Cup, even slightly, it's abundantly clear the forward position is the thinnest in the U.S. camp unless a) Clint Dempsey plays up top b) Brian McBride is convinced to come out of retirement.
Hell, we might even see Eddie Johnson find his way back into the mix. (He scored for Fulham in a preseason match over the weekend.)
So what's the next move for Altidore? Better yet, what's the right move for Altidore?
England would make sense, since there isn't a language barrier. Yet, which club in either the Premier League or the League Championship is going to turn its goal-scoring reigns over to a 19-year-old American with a limited resume? (Is this a stigma that eventually U.S. players need to shake, that they are worthy of playing time in Europe?)
This conundrum only underlines the problem with Alitdore's lost season at Villareal. Yes, he did get injured, but he also didn't fight out for a spot, instead getting loaned to Xerez where he never played. Maybe this is part of the way great talents are treated as they rise through the ranks as youths in the U.S., it comes too easy for them and they're treated with kid gloves. Was it a blow to Altidore's ego that then Villareal coach Manuel Pellegrini didn't cater to him from the start?
Put it this way, the plight of Altidore seems more common to U.S. players going abroad than Jay DeMerit, rising from nothing and becoming Watford captain.
Though I can't pretend to know the league or the place, but Altidore needs to find a place that he'll get steady burn and in turn he can produce steady goals. Yes, he's still young, but pretty soon those seasons spent playing with the reserves or in Cup duty pile up, and before you know it a once promising career is nearly ruined.
In short, the road to relegation is paved with uber-talented, flashy young forwards that never panned out. At the same time, the goal-scoring leader charts around the globe are littered with guys such as Kevin Davies, Claudio Pizarro and the aforementioned Llorente -- guys who don't have a fraction of Altidore's natural talent -- but score goals by hook or by crook. Deep down every fan wants their team to play "champagne football", but goals are goals and players with a knack for find the back of the net (i.e. Pippo Inzaghi) can't be discounted. It's one thing to watch nifty YouTube highlight films cut up for any player, but the scoreboard is really what counts.
And if there's two pieces of advice to hand off to Altidore (and Freddy Adu) it's that not every play or touch has to be the spectacular. You're not beast-moding over 13-year-old AYSO kids any more. You've got to keep working hard, doing the dirty work and little things, whilst keeping the spectacular in your back pocket when the moment arises. One amazing turn and score doesn't offset five or six lost touches, at least in a manager's mind.
Also, for Altidore, I'd like to send him a couple game tapes, namely Zlatan Ibrohimovic when he was at Ajax, note the touch; Didier Drogba in his first two seasons at Chelsea where he was an unstoppable force; and finally the latter stages of Thierry Henry at Arsenal, for obvious reasons.
And it wouldn't hurt to hit the weight room, either.
Maybe that's the biggest question for Altidore going forward -- does he want it?
He's blessed to have all the physical tools a striker could want -- size, speed and pace. I even like the fact he plays with a smile on his face.
We saw gimpses in the Confederations Cup -- namely the goal vs. Spain. But we also saw a player unsure of himself, not willing to take on defenders 1-v-1, opting to go to ground looking for a whistle instead.
Does Altidore have the inner fire that burns inside the elite players of the world? Can he turn himself into a player that can't be denied?
So as you can tell, I honestly have no idea if a Greek Holiday, a year before a World Cup is a good move for Altidore.
Then again, it seemed to work wonders for Matt Derbyshire, so anything is possible. (Hey, wasn't that an Adidas campaign Altidore did?)
[UPDATE -- Actually, this is more of an addendum, apparently Altidore was at the ESPY Awards, which is either a good thing because a U.S. soccer player was there beside, say, Landon Donovan or a bad thing that ahead of a possible move a year before the World Cup, Jozy is hob-knobbing with celebs ... and Bill Simmons. Hard to say which category it really falls in.]
Look at England's 'Big Four'. Michael Owen? Zuri Zhirkov? Thomas Vermaelen? Glenn Johnson?
Slow going, but unfortunately other than in Liverpool's case I doubt its due to some kind of financial restraint.
On the other hand, it's quickly become a good summer for U.S. internationals in light of the Confederations Cup. Who would have thought Oguchi Onyewu would go from either Birmingham City or some far-flung Turkish team to AC Milan, which despite all its warts is still the AC Milan. And over the weekend breakout forward Charlie Davies shoved off from Sweden and landed at Sochaux, which is an excellent move -- look at all the French strikers around the globe.
That brings us to Jozy Altidore, who over the weekend was linked heavily to a move to Olympiakos. (Nothing seems set in stone, with a couple sources seemingly jumping the gun.)
So, the question this morning is a simple one -- where should Jozy go?
Personally, trying to break away from Villareal seems a little premature, though it seems there are some issues going on behind the scenes which have strained the relationship between Altidore and the club.
Consider this, 1) Nihat is back in Turkey; 2) At any second a guy in Arab robes could show up at Aeroport Castello with a couple sacks labed "$$$" and fly off with Guiseppe Rossi to the City of Manchester Stadium; 3) Altidore can't push fringe Spanish international Llorente?
The one downside to sticking at Villareal is that the Yellow Submarine missed out on 2009-10 Champions League, though playing through a Spanish season isn't too shabby.
Whatever's next for Altidore is a tricky and at the same time critical move. If he's not playing at whichever club he ends up with for the season, he's not playing at the 2010 World Cup.
Should this be a concern? Well, not if you're a Brian Ching fan. If you've watched the Gold Cup, even slightly, it's abundantly clear the forward position is the thinnest in the U.S. camp unless a) Clint Dempsey plays up top b) Brian McBride is convinced to come out of retirement.
Hell, we might even see Eddie Johnson find his way back into the mix. (He scored for Fulham in a preseason match over the weekend.)
So what's the next move for Altidore? Better yet, what's the right move for Altidore?
England would make sense, since there isn't a language barrier. Yet, which club in either the Premier League or the League Championship is going to turn its goal-scoring reigns over to a 19-year-old American with a limited resume? (Is this a stigma that eventually U.S. players need to shake, that they are worthy of playing time in Europe?)
This conundrum only underlines the problem with Alitdore's lost season at Villareal. Yes, he did get injured, but he also didn't fight out for a spot, instead getting loaned to Xerez where he never played. Maybe this is part of the way great talents are treated as they rise through the ranks as youths in the U.S., it comes too easy for them and they're treated with kid gloves. Was it a blow to Altidore's ego that then Villareal coach Manuel Pellegrini didn't cater to him from the start?
Put it this way, the plight of Altidore seems more common to U.S. players going abroad than Jay DeMerit, rising from nothing and becoming Watford captain.
Though I can't pretend to know the league or the place, but Altidore needs to find a place that he'll get steady burn and in turn he can produce steady goals. Yes, he's still young, but pretty soon those seasons spent playing with the reserves or in Cup duty pile up, and before you know it a once promising career is nearly ruined.
In short, the road to relegation is paved with uber-talented, flashy young forwards that never panned out. At the same time, the goal-scoring leader charts around the globe are littered with guys such as Kevin Davies, Claudio Pizarro and the aforementioned Llorente -- guys who don't have a fraction of Altidore's natural talent -- but score goals by hook or by crook. Deep down every fan wants their team to play "champagne football", but goals are goals and players with a knack for find the back of the net (i.e. Pippo Inzaghi) can't be discounted. It's one thing to watch nifty YouTube highlight films cut up for any player, but the scoreboard is really what counts.
And if there's two pieces of advice to hand off to Altidore (and Freddy Adu) it's that not every play or touch has to be the spectacular. You're not beast-moding over 13-year-old AYSO kids any more. You've got to keep working hard, doing the dirty work and little things, whilst keeping the spectacular in your back pocket when the moment arises. One amazing turn and score doesn't offset five or six lost touches, at least in a manager's mind.
Also, for Altidore, I'd like to send him a couple game tapes, namely Zlatan Ibrohimovic when he was at Ajax, note the touch; Didier Drogba in his first two seasons at Chelsea where he was an unstoppable force; and finally the latter stages of Thierry Henry at Arsenal, for obvious reasons.
And it wouldn't hurt to hit the weight room, either.
Maybe that's the biggest question for Altidore going forward -- does he want it?
He's blessed to have all the physical tools a striker could want -- size, speed and pace. I even like the fact he plays with a smile on his face.
We saw gimpses in the Confederations Cup -- namely the goal vs. Spain. But we also saw a player unsure of himself, not willing to take on defenders 1-v-1, opting to go to ground looking for a whistle instead.
Does Altidore have the inner fire that burns inside the elite players of the world? Can he turn himself into a player that can't be denied?
So as you can tell, I honestly have no idea if a Greek Holiday, a year before a World Cup is a good move for Altidore.
Then again, it seemed to work wonders for Matt Derbyshire, so anything is possible. (Hey, wasn't that an Adidas campaign Altidore did?)
[UPDATE -- Actually, this is more of an addendum, apparently Altidore was at the ESPY Awards, which is either a good thing because a U.S. soccer player was there beside, say, Landon Donovan or a bad thing that ahead of a possible move a year before the World Cup, Jozy is hob-knobbing with celebs ... and Bill Simmons. Hard to say which category it really falls in.]
Labels: 2010 world cup, Jozy Altidore, Soccer, USMNT
I believe that Jozy was sent out on loan against the wishes of the coaching staff at Villarreal. He mentioned something about that during an interview with World Soccer Daily. I believe I read it somewhere else that Pellegrini had tried to keep Jozy for the whole year but had been overruled by the board.
You have to remember that Pellegrini is no longer with Villarreal so Jozy could end up stuck in a Freddy Adu style situation where the coach who brought him in has gone and the new guy doesn't rate him. Ideally, he would stick it out at Villarreal for at least another season if he's going to get some playing time. If they are willing to loan him out for the year though it doesn't look promising.
@Cardillo
Side comment: that's the second time I remember you saying Jozy should hit the weight room... why do you say that?
I'm curious since that didn't jibe with my impression at all: e.g.,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUTa1J2MiR8#t=30s
Hey...good job by you, very observant.
As for the weight room thing, I'd like to see him get stronger and not go to ground more often.
Wait, that didn't sound right...
I thought Jozy to Olympiakos was a done deal. Hmm.
I agree that the US system treats it's youth 'stars' in a kid gloves kind of way. An MLB team that spends huge bucks on 'bonus baby' draftee usually moves that player quickly up the system towards the big team - while the unheralded players advance (or don't) based on their actual production. At Villareal, Jozy is not the bonus baby but rather just one of the boys who has to make his own spotlight. That is not a bad situation, but it might be new-ish to him - especially at 19. That said, Altidore's interviews on the WSD podcast reveal him to be a very composed and realistic 19 year old.
As Jared said, Pelligrini leaving the Yellow Submarine might be the biggest part of this potential move. Someone at Villareal must want to keep him, the move to Greece is (allegedly) just a one year loan. Not getting picked by a manager can be inexplicable (Shearer not playing NUFC's best player Guitierez last season) or part of pattern (Adu's managers at USMNT, Benfica and Monaco all leaving him off the team sheet) - but it is always a career killer, especially to a young guy looking to make his way. Doubly so in this World Cup year.
I also think being a young striker would be especially hard since you might have a very limited number of opportunities in any given game. A midfielder is likely to have lots of work to do and one bobble isn't the whole enchilada. A baseball hitter is definitely going to get 4 at bats in a game, but a forward might only get one ball passed to him that is at all playable (i.e. not a long punt from the GK). A baseball prospect who strikes out in his only at bat is someone who hasn't really had his shot yet, while the soccer forward in the same situation is a guy who 'played the whole game and didn't produce.' That window of opportunity can be very narrow.
Hit the weight room indeed! For a 19 year old Jozy seems to be in terrible shape. It's not just the flopping but after 60 minutes on the field he looks completely gassed. I understand the point of being in shape vs game shape, but at 19 he should be able to run for miles and miles.
on the other hand, I would kill for an american Pippo Inzaghi, maybe that's what Jozy is destined to become. A straight up poacher. is it possible that we need to ignore start ignoring things like pace and work rate when it comes to Jozy? If a guy has the nose for goal why try and make him something he isn't?
Brian Ching starting in the world cup=a slight possibility that the US makes it out of the group stage. That is the best case scenario. On the other hand, we saw what Davies and Altidore (with a side of Dempsey) can do in the confed cup: either feast (Spain) or famine (Italy and brazil in the group stage). So would Bradley rather risk some excitement and a possible run into the quarters if everyone plays like they did against Spain and the first half against Brazil, or does he play it safe and go with Ching.
Unfortunately I think we all know the answer to that.
you're bugging, weightlifting is not what Jozy needs. maybe yoga or pilates for flexibility & agility but he already overpowers grown men. muscle mass is not the missing link in Jozy's game