Sure... but you know me: reminding to the soccer cognoscenti that winning>forward scoring - every time - is my life's mission.
Friday's 4-0 thrashing of Panama marked another fruitful night in U.S. colors for Jozy Altidore. His two goals bring his career U.S. men’s national team tally to 41 and his World Cup qualifying total to 18, joint-best in program history alongside teammate Clint Dempsey. His assist on Christian Pulisic is his seventh in qualifying play, drawing him level with John Harkes at second place in the all-time list. No one has played more qualifiers for the U.S. in this cycle than Altidore, and only a select few are more influential: his team is 11-0-1 in qualifiers in which he scores. And almost no one else in CONCACAF history is more prolific in the region’s final round of qualifying: Read more at https://www.fourfourtwo.com
He has 2 goals in the hex. One PK, and the other a Pulisic gift. But he has done well to link with Pulisic in home hex matches. I'd like to see him have a good game on the road tomorrow. It would be his first of the hex.
It was a good pass. Jozy put himself in position. Jozy doing Jozy things for #USMNT who are up 2-0 vs Panama. TFC fans worried about CONCACAF playoff can breathe a little easier now. pic.twitter.com/kAvxorXXpk— Mitchell Tierney (@mitchelltierney) October 6, 2017
I don't think his crime in their eyes was coming back, I think it was not succeeding in the Premier League.
Hard to fault him for that when loads of Americans failed in the PL. Though if one of our best players flops in the best league, it probably causes some to devalue him a tad.
His passing is so good. People forget the perfect ball he played on Landon's Algeria goal. I don't think too many big time goal scorers are as happy to pass as Jozy. I think it's just his genuine desire to win as he definitely doesn't hide from the ball in big moments. HIs TFC playoff run last year was amazing, he was the best player out there.
Threads the needle vs. Mexico for B. Wood. Doesn't show in the highlights, but he receives the ball back to goal, turns and tears away from 3 Mexican defenders. Athleticism and finesse.
I don't hate Jozy Altidore. I just don't like how the US team has had to play to try make him effective. Hopefully the future won't be so formulaic and we can get by without the lumbering brute type forward.
He had the opportunity to step up in this match and he failed. Everyone did. But this was his last opportunity at the WC. Shame it ended this way.
Was it? Jozy and Pulisic are the one and two most productive players for the national team. I think the problem is with that idiot Michael Bradley and his enablers providing NO midfield. Shame on our fanbase for bashing our most productive players and letting the coaches boy slide on what has become several years of failure and the occasional appearance of some skill. Shame.
Our Center Forward scored in exactly one Hex game. One. But we got to hear purple-worded peons to him from certain writers, about the unbelievable-ness of his hold-up play.
He has a good shot on him, is actually pretty decent on the ball, but as far as the world of strikers goes, Jozy Altidore is painfully mediocre. Altidore reacts, Wood anticipates. This is why Wood has had more success against better quality opponents.
Whatever. His miss was no worse than the 2 CP had against Costa Rica when it was 0-0 but people who don't like Jozy will make more of it than it was. It was a bad game at a poor moment. He had a good game in just as tight a spot 4 days ago.
I would like to think that we will be so stacked he will have no spot in 4 years but we have taken more than one 30 year old striker to the WC. I wouldn't bet money on him not appearing in 2022.
I’m really not even judging him by last night, the whole team looked bad. His movement and instincts are just really subpar.
As I always say in these discussion, who do you want instead? I would have been fine starting 5 in the MF and choosing one of JA/Wood. Both are very good as subs but there is no reasonable view of the US roster where Jozy doesn't play a big role.
He's a choker who when the pressure increases decides to not try much so he always that as solace in his mind if/when he fails. Next time it could be better, until he does the same thing again. Should have come off at half when it was apparent it was happening again, but he is an attacker, we needed goals, and there were too many other issues to address first. Ability has never been the problem here. He's a strong, pretty athletic guy, with decent touch, shooting technique, and he's crafty. Mentality has always been the issue with him not succeeding when it counts the most and/or at the highest levels. Don't know if he should continue in the program. He'll be 32 next Cup and for years there will be not much point to do anything but play newer players or those who'll be prime-aged in 2022.
He isn't a choker. That's recent bias at work. Panama was just as pressured. He carried TFC in the playoffs and was only stopped from winning the MLS with a shocking save.He hit the pass to Landon against Algeria. He scored the winner in the Dutch cup, for a team that does not win silver regularly. He has come through in the clutch repeatedly. He didn't make it happen last night but he sure as heck wasn't alone.