Jozy Altidore
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| Jozy Altidore | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Josmer Volmy Altidore | |
| Date of birth | November 6, 1989 | |
| Place of birth | Livingston, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | |
| Playing position | Striker | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Villarreal CF | |
| Number | 17 | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 2006–2008 2008– |
Red Bull New York Villarreal CF |
36 (15) |
| National team2 | ||
| 2007– | United States | 3 (1) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Josmer "Jozy" Volmy Altidore[1] (born November 6, 1989 in Livingston, New Jersey) is an American soccer striker of Haitian descent, who currently plays for Villarreal CF.
On June 4, 2008, Villarreal C.F. of the Spanish La Liga agreed in principle with Major League Soccer and Red Bull New York to sign Jozy for $10 million.[2][3] This transfer fee surpasses Fulham's $4 million offer for Clint Dempsey and is now the largest fee paid for any MLS player.
Contents |
[edit] Club career
[edit] Red Bull New York
Altidore was taken 17th overall in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft, with the MetroStars (now known as Red Bull New York) trading up to receive the selection. Altidore spent the majority of the 2006 season away from the team while working towards his high school diploma in Florida. Altidore made his professional debut 23 August, 2006 as a substitute in a 3-1 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup loss to D.C. United. He scored his first professional goal at the age of 16, blasting an 83rd minute, 28-yard shot to beat Columbus 1-0 September 16, 2006. Exactly one week later, on September 23, 2006 in a 4-3 loss to rivals D.C. United, Altidore scored again.
Scoring three times in seven appearances, including a crucial goal against the Chicago Fire on September 30 2006, Altidore became a fan favorite. He scored the Red Bulls' only goal of their 2-1 aggregate loss to D.C. United in the Eastern Conference Semifinals Series when he headed in a cross in the second leg. With that goal, he became the youngest player to score in the MLS playoffs at 16 years, 337 days (breaking DaMarcus Beasley's record by almost three years). Altidore was also youngest to start in an MLS playoff match on October 21 against D.C. United (16 years, 349 days). He also scored 2 goals in a 5-4 win over LA Galaxy on August 18, 2007. As of May 30th 2008, Altidore has made seven appearances for Red Bull New York in the 2008 season, scoring three times and registering one assist.
[edit] Villarreal C.F.
On June 4, 2008, Villarreal C.F. of the Spanish La Liga agreed in principle with Major League Soccer and Red Bull New York to sign Jozy for $8 million.[4][5] The transfer will be complete once he under goes medical examinations and minor contractual negotiations are worked out.[6] Because of Villarreal's current crop of good strikers there is speculation that he will be loaned out immediately to Recreativo de Huelva which also plays in La Liga. This move will most likely get him acclimated to the league and get him first team playing time right way. This seems like a good idea to Jozy and will come to no surprise to him. He's stated as saying "That is something that a lot of clubs do when you go to a new league. It's not easy to adjust, especially for me. I would see a little bit of a faster-paced game. It's a bit different over there. That would not be a bad idea." [7]
[edit] International career
He has played for the Under-17 United States national team, and was part of the U.S. squad at the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship. He appeared as a substitute in the United States' 3-1 win over Italy and 2-0 loss to the Netherlands. He has also played for the U-20 team in their successful qualification to the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. During the group stage of the U-20 World Cup, Altidore tallied three goals, including two in the 2-1 win over Brazil, helping the Americans to advance at the top of group D. In the quarterfinals, Altidore scored a goal in the first half against Austria. With four goals, he was the leading goal scorer for the U.S.
On November 9, 2007, Altidore received his first call up to the USA national team for a friendly game against South Africa just three days after his 18th birthday. He came in as a sub in the 65th minute. In his second match, against Sweden, Altidore was again a second-half substitute, winning a penalty that Landon Donovan converted. On February 6, 2008, in a friendly match versus Mexico, Altidore made his first start for the national team where he also scored his first goal.
[edit] International Goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2008-02-06 | Houston, Texas |  Mexico |
2-1 | 2-2 | Friendly match |
[edit] Personal
Both of Jozy's parents (Joseph and Giselle) were born in Haiti. In November 2006 he, along with teammates Seth Stammler and fellow Haitian-American Jerrod Laventure, went on a six-day service trip to Haiti with Grammy Award winning musician Wyclef Jean and his charitable organization, Yele Haiti. During the halftime show of the Red Bulls home opener, Wyclef wore Altidore's #17 jersey during his performance with Shakira. Jozy is the youngest of four children. Attended the Adidas Elite Soccer Program in 2005 in order to further develop his playing skills.
In 2007, he was a candidate for ESPN's Next Award and is one of the stars featured in Adidas' "Impossible is Nothing" advertisements. Altidore is featured on the cover of the North American version of FIFA 08 by EA Sports, alongside Ronaldinho and Guillermo Ochoa.[8]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ ESPNsoccernet - MLS - McIntyre: Altidore the next big thing
- ^ New York Times - Spanish Team In Deal for Altidore
- ^ Soccer By Ives - Altidore Sold to Villareal for $8 million
- ^ New York Times - Spanish Team In Deal for Altidore
- ^ Soccer By Ives - Altidore Sold to Villareal for $8 million
- ^ Villarreal C.F. Official Web Site - Jozy Altidore and Robert Flores, new signings for Villarreal
- ^ ESPNsoccernet - Altidore expects to be loaned by Villarreal
- ^ IGN: Jozy Altidore Talks FIFA 08
[edit] External links
- Jozy's official website
- New York Redbulls Roster
- SYL to MLS, MLS to 2010 World Cup
- Altidore, U.S. aim to open eyes at Under-20 World Cup
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