Mr. Josmer Volmy Altidore

Discussion in 'USA Men: News & Analysis' started by 50/50 Ball, Aug 22, 2016.

  1. IndividualEleven

    Mar 16, 2006
    Wickham had 5 goals and 1 assist in ~10 games worth of league minutes, though he has thus far failed to kick on from there.

    The service wasn't great, but the team's setup played to Altidore's weaknesses, which included poor off-the-ball running, poor poaching instincts, and poor trapping technique.

    The good news is he seems to have improved upon 2 of those 3 weaknesses.
     
    LouisianaViking07/09 repped this.
  2. 50/50 Ball

    50/50 Ball Member+

    Sep 6, 2006
    USA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Captain Josmer did the business.

    http://www.socceramerica.com/article/70224/usa-svg-world-cup-2018-qualifying-player-ratings.html

    6 Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), 94/35.Held ball up and laid it off to Johnson on sequence of first goal, took hits that produced free kicks. Slammed home a penalty kick just before halftime. Showed some range by dropping underneath Wood and drifting out wide.

    http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/...christian-pulisic-steals-show-qualifying-rout

    7.5 It was a well-rounded showing from the in-form Toronto FC striker. Altidore buried his spot kick with ease, earned his side a few danger free kicks and constantly kept the attack moving with hold-up passing. His persistence kicked off the scoring sequence on Wood's winning goal.
     
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  3. freisland

    freisland Member+

    Jan 31, 2001
    This totally misses Jozy's time at AZ and the USMNT pre-Sunderland, however.

    Sunderland was an outlier because that team was awful and did not at all play to Jozy's strengths. Jozy's game did not suddenly "improve" after Sunderland - he was scoring for the USMNT and AZ before that.

    Sunderland was just a terrible team, and an especially terrible team for how Jozy plays.

    It is fairly easy to look at Jozy's career at this point and see his overall level, which has remained fairly steady:

    He is a very decent, not quite top tier, CF who can hold up very well, draw double teams, is strong enough turn on most defenders who are not top-shelf, but not quick/fast enough to create the kind of "on the fly" counter goals that Wood or Defoe can. Jozy needs at least one other player who can be an offensive threat to make his game work. If he draws the double - as he often does - he needs a player to be able to pick up the ball in the openings left. If he has to slide wide or drop back, he needs someone moving through to the tip of the spear.

    That is why he should, in many situations, work well with Wood. The place Jozy will be problematic is if/when we decide we need a 5 man midfield. Wood is likely to be better as a solo-striker very soon (if not already) and Jozy is not really a midfield player in any true sense - not really fast enough to be slid wide and not really enough of a heads-up passer to be played in any sort of AM role.

    If/when we want to roll out a single striker, Jozy probably should be 2nd choice by 2018.
     
  4. LouisianaViking07/09

    Aug 15, 2009
    congrats to him being made captain
     
  5. IndividualEleven

    Mar 16, 2006
    Eredivisie is not remotely EPL standard. Jozy had 9 appearances with Villarreal, 28 with Hull City, and 42 with Sunderland. He scored 3 goals.

    He is a decent mid-hex level cf, which I have already stated. Maybe he can kick on from here.
     
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  6. LouisianaViking07/09

    Aug 15, 2009
    dude should have gone to Lazio. i think that was the italian club interested in him
     
  7. IndividualEleven

    Mar 16, 2006
    He looks to have improved, since the new year. Maybe TFC are a good fit for him.
     
  8. freisland

    freisland Member+

    Jan 31, 2001
    You also stated that he somehow "improved" after Sunderland, which I don't think results show. He was scoring for AZ and the USMNT before Sunderland, continued to have a decent output for the USMNT while at Sunderland and has not significantly improved his USMNT scoring and assist rate post-Sunderland.

    I don't think it was as much a question of "improving" 2 of his 3 weakness post Sunderland as it was being in a poor situation for his skill set while at Sunderland.

    It's too bad he didn't get to play under the little general. Would have been interesting to see if Dickie's set up worked any better for Jozy.
     
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  9. 50/50 Ball

    50/50 Ball Member+

    Sep 6, 2006
    USA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Are you saying top 5 Eredivisie strikers are only mid-hex quality? He scored a lot of goals in a good league after his Hull and Villarreal times,so I would close the books on those stints.

    He may actually have gotten better. The only good thing about playing for Sunderland is he got to practice holding off two defenders while completely isolated and work a ton on his defense.
     
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  10. IndividualEleven

    Mar 16, 2006
    Er no, he improved at TFC
    Unless I had miswritten something, I never stated he had improved at Sunderland.

    I did state that this year has seen him improve primarily imo through weight loss.
     
  11. IndividualEleven

    Mar 16, 2006
    #111 IndividualEleven, Sep 6, 2016
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2016
    Beyond mid-hex gets you the top XIs of Mexico, Costa Rica, and Honduras. Factor in the higher level of difficulty presented by the nature of international soccer...
     
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  12. IndividualEleven

    Mar 16, 2006
    Bulky Jozy would not have scored tonight's second goal.
     
    ttrevett and LouisianaViking07/09 repped this.
  13. freisland

    freisland Member+

    Jan 31, 2001
    But his extra fatness would have taken a little heat off that chip - it's a wash!

    Jozy exhibited my least favorite quality of his tonight. Once we had the game in hand he started trying to score pretty. Laying off to the kids so they could score, way too casual on the sidefoot shot at around 65. Too clever by half on the chip.

    No complaints in this game, and he tends only to do it when games are in hand, but I wish he was just a little nastier. I think it would push his effectiveness up an extra percentage point or two.
     
  14. gunnerfan7

    gunnerfan7 Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Jul 22, 2012
    Santa Cruz, California
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    No, please, no more back-handed compliments.
     
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  15. 50/50 Ball

    50/50 Ball Member+

    Sep 6, 2006
    USA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    He is still bigger and stronger than the CBs and played a great game. The ball flowed through him. He was an anchor and an absolute boss tonight. If he scored the chip I'd call it a 9. As is 8.5 MOTM.
     
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  16. freisland

    freisland Member+

    Jan 31, 2001
    Sorry - not sure I'm catching the flava of your comment. But to be clear, I thought Jozy had a very good night (and have been a regular low-key defender of his for many moons now), I was just pointing out one part of his game I find occasionally a bit frustrating.

    If you're meaning that Jozy was not good tonight, then I dunno. Different universes.
     
  17. gunnerfan7

    gunnerfan7 Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Jul 22, 2012
    Santa Cruz, California
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    No, I mean it's fine not to rate him, but picking on a 2 goal performance against T&T in which Jozy was extremely influential... seems silly. Scored goals 2 and 3, when the game was not in hand. Your entire was negative, far from "no complaints".
     
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  18. 50/50 Ball

    50/50 Ball Member+

    Sep 6, 2006
    USA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The real question is when have we seen a better #9 performance? He was a constant a outlet, he was creator, link and finisher, beside missing the chip, I can't really fault him.
     
  19. LouisianaViking07/09

    Aug 15, 2009
    37 goals in 95 matches for the NT
     
  20. freisland

    freisland Member+

    Jan 31, 2001
    Got it. Guilty as charged - tho I think if you look at that post in the context of my many Jozy posts - esp those with indi11 it would make more sense and feel less jerky. I was happy to see Jozy keep it coming.
     
  21. gunnerfan7

    gunnerfan7 Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Jul 22, 2012
    Santa Cruz, California
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I just thought your tone was weird, don't worry about it, man. You're one of my favorite posters, and I respect your opinion.
     
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  22. freisland

    freisland Member+

    Jan 31, 2001
    Not worried - and appreciate the words - just making sure I understood your post. All good.

    I've been a Jozy stalwart for a while. He would have had to have landed in the right situation to make his mark on the modern EPL (and Sunderland was not that situation) but on a team that gives him the ball in the rights spots (AZ, USMNT, Toronto) he has a really strong professional toolkit. Just thought he got a bit cute tonight later in the 2nd half. (Funnily, a poster on another thread thought he was working too hard to get his hat-trick whereas it looked to me like he was working too hard to tee it up for Pulisic and later Morris.

    But no real complaints about Jozy tonight. Doing the business as he can and should.
     
  23. Jazzy Altidore

    Jazzy Altidore BigSoccer Yellow Card

    Sep 2, 2009
    San Francisco
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    But only 2 in 18ish against high level competition in competitive games. :D
     
  24. ttrevett

    ttrevett Member+

    Apr 2, 2002
    Atlanta, GA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The guy that played last night and is playing in MLS right now is a Jozy I could see doing well in most leagues. He is strong without the massive bulk we have seen in previous Jozy versions 3.0 and 4.0, has good vision and a good touch on passes in the box, and makes good runs. He is not a target forward, but could play the Costa role at Chelsea. I think the factory has finally created the proper Jozy version, kind of like the Iphone 5. Not too big, just big enough and can do all the things we ask of him very well, but also deliver the final product, the porn, excuse me, goals.
     
  25. olephill2

    olephill2 Member+

    Oct 6, 2006
    Club:
    Watford FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Jozy Altidore scored 2 goals in a WCQ match yesterday. But that doesn't matter because it wasn't against a top-quality side... :rolleyes:

    Altidore now has 37 goals in 95 caps. Against St. V&G, he surpassed Eric Wynalda for #3 on the all-time US goal scoring list, and he did it in 12 fewer caps than Wynalda.

    He now has a strike rate (goals/game) of .3895, which is superior to that of Landon Donovan and second only to Clint Dempsey among US players ever with at least 10 caps. (Paul Arriola's strike rate is looking pretty good, too. :D)
     
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