The American forward was smiling Tuesday, speaking candidly about his unfruitful time at Sunderland and his return to Major League Soccer. CARSON, Calif. — Jozy Altidore is the center of attention here Tuesday, as he’s so often been for American soccer media members. He was the subject of adulation when he was lighting up the scoreboard for AZ, puzzlement when he continually declined comment while racking up goals upon goals during World Cup qualification, sympathy after a hamstring problem forced him out of the World Cup and a deserved share of sharp criticism as he was rooted to the bench - or sometimes out of the squad - with Sunderland after his failed transfer there in summer of 2013. During that time he has brooded, sometimes scowled and often avoided the media. But today, he was smiling, cracking jokes and speaking candidly about the transfer that fell short and led him back to Major League Soccer last week, when he signed a designated player deal with Toronto. “I mean, it was a tough experience. I think it was tough for everybody at Sunderland. If you look at, if you go down the line, I don’t think anybody has it easy there. It’s a tough place to play. There’s no other way to put it. Each time the 25-year-old discussed the situation where he was unable to find playing time and rarely scored when he did see the field, he reiterated that he appreciated the fans at Sunderland and how he was treated by club staff. Yet despite feeling positive about Sunderland fans, Altidore expressed a feeling that it was difficult to wear the smile he showed Tuesday during his struggles in 2014, having to remain focused on his development as a person in addition to trying to find success as a player. “It was tough because everywhere I go I feel like people are always critical of me, and that’s just the situation I’ve been in since I was 16,” he said. “But I think over there, I think the toughest thing is mentally how to stay in it because everybody is so negative all the time about everything. “You know the English media. They’re not happy about anything. They can win 5-0, and they’re still not happy. So I think the ability to kind of deal with all that and look at the bigger picture of where I want to go as a person and knowing this isn’t the end all be all. It’s not, no matter what people tell you. I just felt like I had to make sure that mentally I stayed in it and stayed sharp.” please log in to view this image His mind looked to be in a much better place after the move to Toronto. His United States teammate Michael Bradley started planting the idea of a move to join up with him in Canada at the World Cup, with the midfielder shown teasing Altidore with the idea of playing alongside Jermain Defoe and making a lot of money. He won’t be teaming up with Defoe, but will be well compensated. And in addition to Bradley, Altidore is joined by Sebastian Giovinco, who arrives from Juventus and becomes one of the league’s highest-paid players. Altidore said he hadn’t thought about a MLS return until Bradley bent his ear during the World Cup but after that he started watching more of the league and thinking about a return. It wasn’t until the fall when the forward started thinking about the teasing becoming reality. “I always joked about it with Michael,” Altidore said. “There was a point in like October where I think it was from both sides. I think Defoe obviously was unhappy and then I had got a text from Michael, ‘Would you ever be interested in coming to MLS?’ That’s when I kind of started thinking about it. “Up until then it was the teams you know about. The Lilles, the Stuttgarts, those are great opportunities but I just felt like this challenge in itself was totally different. It required different things, and I took it.” Taking that opportunity wasn’t as easy as simply wanting to leave, though Defoe’s discontent in North America certainly made things smoother. Another suitor was Altidore's former club, the New York Red Bulls, but it couldn’t jump Toronto in the league’s allocation order to make a signing. Even so, Altidore said he’s excited about the chance to take a team with a historically passionate fan base but without a playoff appearance and turn it around is one that sparks his interest, saying, “It just wasn’t the right time” for a return to New York. “The thing about it was I think Toronto is just unique, being the fact that organization has not had a lot of success - I mean, I’m not happy about that - but the opportunity there I thought was a big challenge,” he said. “To play now with Michael, kind of share that load, and to have a guy like Giovinco coming in, you’ve got a good nucleus there, and I thought that was a pretty cool challenge to kind of help flip a franchise that has an incredible amount of support, an incredible amount of backing from the corporate side and I thought that was an incredible challenge. Something different.” Manager Jurgen Klinsmann got Altidore into camp with a simple phone call when the move to Toronto became imminent, and Altidore went through his first session Monday. Klinsmann said it was too early for an evaluation but said the presence of Altidore and other veterans elevates the level of his camp. Though he admitted to fighting jet lag and hasn’t had time to get his bearings in Ontario, the forward was happy - there’s that word again - to answer the call and get back onto the pitch. “I think if you look at it, there’s never been a time like this,” Altidore said. “You have the Gold Cup, you have the Copa America, you have the Confederations Cup and you have the World Cup. It’s the best time to be a national team player, and it’s the best time right now in our league. I thought this was as good a time as any to make the jump.”
I'm sure the majority of our fans wish the lad all the best. Shame it didn't work out for him here, I'm sure he'll be a great success in the States.
Maybe not his effort, but ihis physical presence I think you could be more than justified in doing so.
Not for me mate, can't think of many occasions he was brushed off the ball, credited with a canny few assists
How many times would the ball bounce and bobble out of his control, when he should have shielded it and held it up though. Its not that often he had many headed opportunities either, fault lies elsewhere with that mind. Built like a battering ram but didn't play like one. A slower MLS will suit him more.
Good luck to the lad. The American media are pissing me off though, they're well on the way to painting the picture that he didn't get game time. He made 52 appearance in a season and a half. That's ****ing good game time.
