Josimer Altidore featured in ESPN magazine "Next"

I read my issue earlier today and completely overlooked it..

Doing a favor for you guys and typing this out:


BIG FINISHER

There was no hype, no Freddy Adu circus. JOSMER ALTIDORE simply arrived. After spending most of 2006 at the IMG Soccer Academy in Florida, the 16-year old rookie joined the Red Bulls down the MLS stretch and scored three huge goals--including a 30-yard blast in his second pro game--to carry them into the playoffs. Once there, he became the league's youngest player ever to find a postseason net. "What he showed is mind-boggling," says coach Bruce Arena. Altidore, a native of New Jersey and the son of Haitian immigrants, scored 19 goals in 25 games with the U.S. under-17 squad in 2005 but flew under the radar as a second-rounder in last January's MLS draft. One year and four inches later (he's 6'2" and still growing), Jozy is considered a natural to become America's next scoring weapon. Now that's hype. "I tip my hat to Freddy," he says. "It's tough when people put so much on your shoulders. But I haven't done anything yet." Except get people talking. -- LIAM McHUGH

 

I have a real hard time picturing Bruce saying his quote....I call BS on that.

 

"... and rising racing star Juan Pablo Montoya."

I can't believe ESPN editors included JPM in this category. He's won at all levels of motorsport already (F1, sports car, champ car)....he's hardly an up and comer.

 

Jozy is 6'2" now? Nice.

 

pic I scanned:

 

Water and a hand-wrist cast? Classic soccer.

He is a big boy, though.

 

great picture.

6'2"? he should be fun to watch this year.

 

6'2"? Wasn't he listed at 5'10" last season?

I worry for what that may do to his coordination.

 

?

The way I read it Il Bruce's quote is limited to "What he showed is mind-boggling", and until the quote from Altidore:""I tip my hat to Freddy," etc, etc the remainder of the text is all courtesy of the person who wrote the piece.

 

Now that ESPN has a vested interest in selling MLS, you'll see more stuff like this.

 

He is so young and it says he is still growing. He could easily have grown 4 inches in a year. It won't do much damage to his coordination. It's much easier for kids who grew up smaller and get late growth spurts. They have already developed a great deal more coordination than kids who have grown up big and are constantly catching up. I am 6 foot 6 and once grew around 6 inches in 6 months, now that's fast. 4 inches in a year will simply help him. I am really excited to hear this. If he can eek out a couple more inches it will be phenomenal. 6 foot 4, fast as hell strikers, can't ever complain when you have those.

 

Imagine a front line of Cooper and Altidore. Now that would scare the crap out of Mexico

 

Certainly it's great to see US players bring the intimidation factor, though honestly, Landon Donovan already scares the crap out of Mexico. Gauadalajara's daily paper called him something like "the foremost executioner of Mexican soccer."

 

I'm not sure we want to scare Mexico. We want to keep bringing players they can easily overlook and give no respect to. Then they can claim moral victory after they lose 2:0 yet again.

 

And we want to keep subbing Cobi into the game late, just to draw red cards. Even when he's 40.

(Is he 40 yet?)

 

Man, they do hate Cobi, don't they?

 

It's a great omen as he's in the same two pages as one of the greatest sports minds to ever have lived.

 

He was taller than that when he was drafted. In an interview shortly after being drafted he said that he'd grown a couple of inches...

 

Arena likes to be circumspect with talented young, man-child forwards.

 

Ha Ha
Brings to mind an idea for a T-shirt.

How's a picture of Landon dressed up like Clint Eastwood in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

We can call him the "Mexecutioner"

Would be even better live with the whistling music me thinks

 

Yeah but he hasn't won in NASCAR yet so he's still and up and comer.

 

He's probably grown two inches, was listed a little too short then, and a smidge too tall now.