Jozy Altidore Has Scored Four Goals in His First Two League Matches For AZ Alkmaar
Jozy Altidore was not called up for the USMNT friendly against Mexico, offering him a full preseason with his Dutch club AZ Alkmaar. Judging by his first two appearances, it seems to have paid off. The American has scored four goals in his first two league games. For some perspective, he scored six combined in 63 appearances during his first three seasons in Europe.
All goals are not created equal. Eredivisie defending can be non-existent, but Altidore’s prolific scoring is a definite reason for optimism. He seems, from the highlights at least, to be attacking the net with confidence. That was what was missing. His physical ability and talent were never in question. He, along with Michael Bradley, is showing the importance of stable club environments.
Altidore developing into a formidable, world-class striker would be one development that could change the complexion of the USMNT dramatically ahead of the 2014 World Cup.
Previously: USMNT: Looking Ahead to The 2014 World Cup Squad After Historic Win Against Mexico
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August 20th, 2012 at 1:04 PM
Afonso Alves
August 20th, 2012 at 1:05 PM
Altidore developing into a formidable, world-class striker would be one development…
Just asking, world-class? How many players at a position you mean when you say that? Top 10 in the world at that spot? 20? 50?
Not sure if that’s in the cards but I’d be glad with capable, reliable, and opportunistic. But he can’t be expected to play every minute of all our WC games so we need some more depth there.
August 20th, 2012 at 1:06 PM
Speaking of black players that were supposed to make a huge difference on the National Team, whatever happened to Freddy Adu?
August 20th, 2012 at 1:07 PM
Another development that could change the complexion of the USMNT: an actual game plan for matches that does not consist of sitting back, letting the opponent dictate and randomly kicking the ball to open spots around the field.
August 20th, 2012 at 1:08 PM
We’ve been waiting for this guy to develop into something for like four years now. He is what he is.
August 20th, 2012 at 1:10 PM
That second goal in the first video was quite badass.
August 20th, 2012 at 1:11 PM
I believe I spotted him walking off the pitch during the Mexico match, but I didn’t actually see him play.
August 20th, 2012 at 1:11 PM
whatever happened to Freddy Adu?
He bid adieu.
August 20th, 2012 at 1:11 PM
/Pours one out for Liverpool
August 20th, 2012 at 1:17 PM
/Pours one out for Liverpool
I didn’t see the match, but it sounded ugly. Agger is apparently contesting his red card.
August 20th, 2012 at 1:17 PM
.
/still better than El Tri
//VICTORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
August 20th, 2012 at 1:19 PM
Nothing to be done about the first goal, Skrtel to blame for the sending off and both penalties, still can’t finish properly.
And no Agger is not contesting the red card, it’s only a one game suspension. City are going to fucking destroy them.
August 20th, 2012 at 1:19 PM
Adu has been invited to the USMNT camps and such although not expected to contribute to the next WC roster – he’s been on the team for some friendlies and such. He ended up in Greece, then played in Turkey, now in MLS I think.
August 20th, 2012 at 1:23 PM
neat how the team name meshes with the country the league is in
AZ Alkmaar looks muslim and i stress ‘looks’. reminds the eye of al jazeera
/tension
August 20th, 2012 at 1:23 PM
They suck and will continue to suck for seemingly the rest of forever.
August 20th, 2012 at 1:26 PM
Tottenham dismisses this idea that you need a striker.
/going to be a loooong season
August 20th, 2012 at 1:35 PM
I was watching a Philadelphia Union match a few weeks ago. (Sorry). And announcer said Adu wasn’t included in the roster for that game and he wasn’t injured. They said something must’ve happened behind the scene. Don’t know what that is all about.
August 20th, 2012 at 1:39 PM
Re Adu:
Wasn’t he playing for some third-division Turkish team last season?
August 20th, 2012 at 1:40 PM
Moleman, you give me Afonse Aves I give you Vermaelen, Emanuelson, Huntelaar. Ton of players who’ve left the Eredivisie and done well at a higher level club. Josy is still only 22, Drogba took a long time to develop and there are others who took time as well. Those goals up top are quality.
August 20th, 2012 at 1:41 PM
this must be pitchwork
August 20th, 2012 at 1:44 PM
Def not looking great for Liverpool so far, with their 4th different manager on opening day in as many years. Dismal preseason (outside of Leverkusen game). Questionable transfers in and out (yeah I know they got rid of old players, but Kuyt, Bellamy, Maxi were all proven and could score). Should be a painful year watching them learn a new system.
Suarez needs to improve his strikerate. way too many chances needed for a goal. Gerrard has to play deeper in the mid behind the ball instead of with his back to goal right behind the striker. Downing needs to start giving money back.
that being said, it’s not the big teams that have been their downfall the past few seasons, it’s losing to minnows. maddening. Hopefully they play all the academy kids in the Euro league fixtures because this team doesn’t have the quality to play 3 competitive games in 7-8 days.
Loved the new managers comments that it will take a while to compete for trophies even though they were in two cup finals a couple months ago.
August 20th, 2012 at 1:45 PM
Huntelaar was a catastrophic failure at the two biggest clubs in European history, not a good example.
August 20th, 2012 at 1:48 PM
Someone didn’t watch him last season then.
August 20th, 2012 at 1:55 PM
That is to say, he’s too old to be playing further back and is going to lose possession too much in that role. He played far deeper this weekend than he did against Gomel and it isolated the attack. He either needs to play as the link between attack and midfield, or as the right side of the attacking three. Absolutely no cause to push him further back with Allen and Lucas in tandem.
August 20th, 2012 at 1:56 PM
I;m not a fan of Altidore (the latest in a long line of supposed US Stiker saviors that dates back to Rouy Lassitter)….
but Mugatu is right….it ussually takes bigger strikers longer to develop at the top level….Drogba, Henry, RvP….holding out hope for Andy Carroll lol
August 20th, 2012 at 1:56 PM
Afonso was 26 when he did what he did at Heerenveen. ( Bradley scored something like 16 goals that year as well.) But there are tons of players who’ve left the Eredivisie and leagues worse than that and succeeded at the top 4 leagues. I would like to see how Jozy does in the european competitions. If he does well there, something like a goal every other game, he could be ready for a move back to a top 4 league. I
August 20th, 2012 at 2:00 PM
@ Mole watched every game Gerrard played in last year (and the years before) that was televised in the US and many that weren’t….he goes so long without seeing the ball when he plays high….takes away his ability to take long distance shots and play long-distance passes, his 2 best traits. Not too mention when he plays high he doesn’t defend at all.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:00 PM
Yes I get that. I just think even considering the potential to develop into a world class player when he’s untested in a real environment is a tad premature. We’ve been burned by every single “next big thing” American attacking players, and I’m not about to shuck that skepticism based on performances in Holland. Still, nice to see an improvement.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:02 PM
Oh yeah forgot Joe Allen is the saviour. riiigghhhttt…..
I wouldn’t worry about Gerrard giving away the ball in the middle when they keep playing Jay Spearing in there.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:02 PM
Long distance shots and long distance passes aren’t exactly a staple of a Brendan Rodgers team.
Playing him centrally with Allen and Lucas healthy is a non starter.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:05 PM
Yeah Spearing playing the first Gomel game because it was still preseason and not even making the bench for the season opener really enforces whatever point you’re trying to make.
Cool, I know to ignore your opinion.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:08 PM
And no Agger is not contesting the red card, it’s only a one game suspension. City are going to fucking destroy them.
I thought I saw that he was contesting his send off, which seems to mean he didn’t think he should have been red carded in the first place. But I only saw a headline.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:08 PM
Also he had the worst pass completion percentage of anyone on the team Saturday and him losing possession was what gave WBA the ball back on the play that Agger got sent off on, so yes, I would absolutely worry about him playing in the central two. It’s not going to happen.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:09 PM
“Long distance shots and long distance passes aren’t exactly a staple of a Brendan Rodgers team”
How about scoring goals? Is that a staple? Apparantly not.
“He played far deeper this weekend than he did against Gomel and it isolated the attack.”
he naturally drifts there because that is his natural spot. good thing Rogers came in to fix Gerrard since he’s been playing in the wrong position his whole career.
He’s not mobile enough anymore to be the link player in that 4-3-3 system. He needs to be the second deepest mid with Lucas being the deepest protecting the back 4.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:10 PM
There may have been something, already saw in the papers this morning he wasn’t going to appeal though. You can’t really win those appeals and they will extend the ban. Only way they would appeal it is if it weren’t ruled to be a professional foul.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:10 PM
“Also he had the worst pass completion percentage of anyone on the team Saturday”
because he’s playing out of position
August 20th, 2012 at 2:11 PM
After Lucas blew out his knee last year Gerrard was the second deepest player usually with Spearing or Adam behind and it was a fucking disaster.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:12 PM
Sure, guy.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:14 PM
The only way he can play in a central pairing is in a 4-4-2 like with England, and in no way shape or form is Rodgers playing a 4-4-2.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:17 PM
Also he needs to surrender the armband, it’s far past time.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:20 PM
Hopefully he can keep scoring and stay healthy for the WC qualifiers coming up in Sep. Any new news on the Clint Dempsey saga?
August 20th, 2012 at 2:22 PM
We now go to Clint Dempsey.
“I’ve made a huge mistake.”
Thanks Clint! Now here’s the weather.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:22 PM
There were a ton of things that contributed to LFC’s disaster last year. Gerrard playing the same position he has nearly his entire career is way down on that list.
So how do you think the 2 central mids in a typical 4-4-2 function differently than rogers version of the 4-3-3?
Put surrendering the armband on the list of things that won’t happen.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:25 PM
You’re just wrong on this “that’s his natural position.” He was NOT playing as the second deepest midfielder when Alonso and Mascherano were holding down the midfield for years. He has always had stronger holding players behind him. And his best statistical seasons are when he has played as a CAM or on the right wing.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:28 PM
He’s played very few games on the right wing in his career. Plus Alonso and Mascherano didn’t play a lot of games together.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:28 PM
Also when you see a game like the second Gomel tie where he and Suarez linked together perfectly I’m not sure where the theory that he’s too old to play higher up comes from, especially considering playing higher up means he has to cover less territory than if he were playing deeper back.
Allen and Lucas were more on a straight line than how Shelvey and Lucas were staggered in the previous game. Allen being held back a bit meant Gerrard had to drop a bit back to cover more space, and it didn’t work.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:32 PM
2005/6 season he played as a right midfielder, and it’s the season he won Player of the Year.
You are so factually wrong it’s embarrassing.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:32 PM
yes one game against Gomel is the perfect sample. And Jonjo is completely relevant to the Gerrard discussion.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:33 PM
Tell me what percentage of Gerrards games included both Masch and Xabi.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:38 PM
Considering they’ve played a total of three competitive games in the new system, and the one in which things clicked the best feature Gerrard as the most advanced of a staggered three, it’s relevant.
He’s relevant in that in the previous game he was the second deepest player, which is what we’re talking about.
Let me see if there’s a compilation of lineup configurations out there. But Alonso and Masche with Gerrard ahead was 100% the first choice configuration.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:42 PM
Though really he isn’t the problem. The flanks provided nothing in attack and contributed to the isolation of Suarez. Johnson having to flip sides with Enrique out neutered the attack from the fullbacks as well.
I’d be a lot more concerned on September first if the attacking options in the squad are the same as they were this weekend.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:43 PM
There may have been something, already saw in the papers this morning he wasn’t going to appeal though. You can’t really win those appeals and they will extend the ban. Only way they would appeal it is if it weren’t ruled to be a professional foul.
Gotcha. It seemed rather a quixotic thing to do, but I didn’t realize that a failed appeal could lead to a longer match ban.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:49 PM
Alright by my math, from just the last season they all played together, there were only six instances the entire season where all three were available and Alonso/Masche didn’t start in CM with Gerrard as an attacker.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:54 PM
Here’s a better breakdown. Alonso/Masche was the first choice pairing and it was no even close.
August 20th, 2012 at 3:09 PM
SG, XA, JM were at Liverpool together for only a season in a half from JM arrival in Feb 2007 to XA departure in the summer of 09. The 21 games they all started together were probably less than half (possibly a third) of all their games that year.
Of course when you have 2 of the best 5 DM playing a 4-2-3-1 you push Gerrard up (not right). In a 4-2-3-1 the 2 central are both considered holding/defensive. In most 4-3-3′s one of the 2 deep joins the attack (in a nil-nil vacuum).
My point is that 18 months is a small percentage of Gerrards career and that he provides more solutions and options deep than he does up high even at this stage of his career. That spot in the 4-3-3 is suited more for a Sneijder, xavi/iniesta, silva type player. Hoped Aqualani would be that player. Great bit of soccer business there.
Biggest on-field problems at LFC for my money is lack of depth in the back (esp centrally) and downing. Does Johnson ever play well when he moves to the left?
August 20th, 2012 at 3:11 PM
Of course not scoring with three strikers and an attacking mid is an issue too. But there is a popular theory going around in coaching circles right now that more goals are created with 2 strikers partnering centrally rather than 3 spread high.
August 20th, 2012 at 3:15 PM
Two and a half seasons.
Two and a half season with Alonso and Mascherano in the holding roles.
The year before? Alonso and Momo. (The year he played out right, which he bitched about)
The year before? Alonso and Didi.
In a system that emphasizes holding on to the ball, no, no he does not. Joe Allen is one of the best controlling midfielders in the game, there’s a reason on Xavi has a better pass completion rate.
August 20th, 2012 at 3:17 PM
Agree with this. Skrtel is horrible, Downing is horrible, and when Johnson has to cover for Enrique he loses the ability to use his natural footing. Really only a good move when he’s playing against a right sided player who is naturally left footed.
They need two more players for the front line, but they’re not going to buy more defenders sadly.
August 20th, 2012 at 3:28 PM
Oh also last week Gerrard came out and said he won’t change his game to play in a holding roll and that he still sees himself as an attacking midfielder. He’s been played out of position in his career (mainly with England), but playing in a CAM roll is definitely not out of position.
Now whether he’s the best answer to the position is another issue, but it’s definitely the roll he’s been in for the most successful and long stretches of his career.
August 20th, 2012 at 3:35 PM
so they were all together in the same team only 21 times in 2.5 years? Even worse. Gotta be well below 20% of all games in that period.
Loved didi….hoped we would get schweinsteiger for our central mid….I just feel better when there is a big german in the middle….
I’ve always thought skrtl was solid, esp w his durability, but he’s fading fast….Coates just hasn’t stepped up yet, but honestly he may be a better dm than cb (but not good enough to play dm in England in my opinion).
thoughts on Borini? Was disappointed with him (well, most of the team) when I saw them in Baltimore a few weeks ago and haven’t seen much since (though that 1 goal was decent)….
August 20th, 2012 at 3:39 PM
That 21 number is absolutely not right, no idea where you’re getting that from. But the combination of those three all playing and with Alonso/Masche as the holding pair with Gerrard attacking was still the most frequent combination. Not sure if you’re familiar with the fact that Benitez was always killed by people for rotating too much. But that was the first choice lineup.
Skrtel is solid in a stagnant lifeless system like Hodgson or Dalglish play. In a system that is likely to give up mainly counter attacking threats, his cumbersomeness shows through (see this weekend for an example).
Coates just needs time and games, luckily we’ve got the EL this year for that.
Borini is a hard worker and poacher, he fits in the system but he’s going to give the ball away a bit. He’s basically meant to be a younger Kuyt but on the other side. I’m more excited by the Moroccan winger.
August 20th, 2012 at 3:55 PM
Got the 21 games from the 14-5-2 record in the link you posted…..although upon further review stevie didn’t play in 3 of those….
well aware of the rotation policy which is another reason in addition to injuries and suspensions that that trio played a small percentage of overall games together.
August 20th, 2012 at 3:57 PM
Oh that was just one season. But it shows that was far and away the preferred setup.
August 20th, 2012 at 4:07 PM
Not arguing it wasn’t with that trio and that coach in that system. Still gotta be roughly a third of all games that season and a small percentage of Gerrards overall games in his career.
I’m saying if you break down Gerrard’s games by position over the course of his career, the overwhelming majority are in a 2-man central midfield. And he seems to have done fine for himself there, and his skillset is still more suted to being behind the ball then with his back to goal ahead of the ball.
August 20th, 2012 at 4:15 PM
Yes I get that, and I’m saying you’re wrong. That’s just one pairing.
But again, before Mascherano came in the holding two were Xabi and Momo, before that Didi and Alonso. Under Houllier he played centrally a bit more, but after Benitez came in his days as part of a central pairing were few and far between. This really isn’t factually that debatable at all.
August 20th, 2012 at 4:28 PM
Really since GH left he’s played that role under Hodgson due to a complete lack of quality CM players (Poulsen? GOOD GOD) and the fact that Meireles was more suited to the higher role due to being even worse with possession, and under Dalglish after Lucas blew out the knee. Neither were exactly good periods for him or the team.
Anyways, here’s hoping RVP’s hamstring is about to explode like a bratwurst.
August 20th, 2012 at 4:34 PM
Well then I guess my 35 years of playing, 18 years of coaching education (including 3 summers with LFC staff) and 15 years of watching Liverpool and specifically #8 have failed me miserably….
YNWA….unless you are in Green Day….
August 20th, 2012 at 4:36 PM
Do you think Jonjo or Adam or Hendo or Spearing is any better than Poulsen? Obviously they play different roles but I’m talking quality and ability to contribute at this level.
August 20th, 2012 at 4:39 PM
Apparently.
Well Poulsen literally offered nothing, so yes, but that’s not an endorsement of those names. Spearing has zero place at the club, Adam doesn’t fit into Rodgers’s system at all. Henderson and Shelvey both have massive amounts of potential, but in terms of passing ability they offer more than Poulsen ever could.
August 20th, 2012 at 4:40 PM
First LFC game I ever watched was I think a 4-3 win over Newcastle somewhere around 94? Rush was still playing. Next one I watched was a year later 4-3 win over Newcastle (I think Fowler had the winner late). I was hooked. Loved watching Macca’s pace from box to box with the ball on his foot like velcro at full speed. Always rued Redknapp and Berger being injured.
August 20th, 2012 at 4:42 PM
Paddy Berger, what a legend.
August 20th, 2012 at 4:44 PM
Wayne Rooney looking in midseason out of shape form here.
August 20th, 2012 at 4:54 PM
Enjoyed the mischarachterization of our debate and the name calling on twitter….
August 20th, 2012 at 4:59 PM
That’s great, I stand by that label based on what you said about Joe Allen.
August 20th, 2012 at 5:10 PM
I admire your consistency. Thank you for your time and views.