I do believe we rely on experience too much. Jozy scored two goals in the Hex and we need more from a forward starting almost, if not, every game. I am not convinced he is the best forward.
Absolutely. Calling in someone like Jozy for a friendly is silly at this point. Jozy has four seasons worth of play at the international level. I'm wondering if the motor is getting burnt out. It's also unfair to place so many caps and expectations on a young player the way we did with Jozy. It's setting him up for failure.
Agreed. I'm sure he's set his eyes on the NT goalscoring record. He knows he needs a tournament to cement his international career. Nothing short of a few goals/assists in a WC will do it.
It's not really close right now. There is no striker in the pool that has his game. I have big hopes for the kids but they have not done it yet.
He took the spot when he was 19... The kids are going to have to push him aside. I hope the friendlies and Nations League give them a showcase.
Gregg doesn't seem to be all in on Jozy, judging from the fact he wouldn't let him play 90 with the tournament on the line.
Jozy's injury history likely played a role in the way he was used. He got the big start in the final.
Yup. Opportunity and then they actually have to wrestle the starting job from him based on performance. Something nobody has seemingly done for decade. We've had blips on the radar of guys passing Jozy, but they've been all-too-brief. I mean, Sargent has played a grand total of 8 minutes in the Bundesliga so far. Two career Bundesliga goals. One from 6 inches out that was going in anyway. Soto has played a grand total of 4 minutes so far in Bundesliga 2. Never scored a first team goal. Based on his injury history, we know we need a plan B in case Jozy can't go when the games start to matter. Right now people are suggesting players X,Y, and Z. That's fine. Right now those players are more hopes, dreams, and wishful thinking than actual reality. Right now we have no real goal-scorers in Europe. Weah is playing on the wing, not as a forward for Lille. Green is also playing as an attacking midfielder, and not a forward. And the top 5 leading domestic goal-scorers in MLS are...………….. Chris Wondolowski 11 Jozy Altidore 10 CJ Sapong 10 Gyasi Zardes 9 Brian White 9 Not some exciting youngster scoring and making a name for himself. These are the guys that actually "do the business." Not talk about it, wish for it, hope that it'll happen some day. These are the guys that actually do it. That's why Jozy (and Zardes for that matter) keeps getting called up. People keep saying "Yeah, but he was a disaster at Sunderland!!" As if we have anybody in the pool who could be an impactful, starting Premier League forward. As if we have anybody in the pool who'd score 51 goals in 93 games for an eredevisie team (Jozy's record at AZ) Why don't we look for that first!!!? Cuz I don't see it yet.
Citing MLS goal-scoring stats as a basis for reliably ranking strikers for the purpose of projecting higher level, competitive international play is about as useful as doing the same with college QB touchdown-passing stats for future NFL play. What's more, we have plenty of data on Altidore's competitive match play at international level against decent teams. At club level, established starters who aren't good enough are cleared out to make way for the youngsters or others to prove themselves. This has somehow not been the case with the USNT, a circumstance that would be understandable had there been a recent record of historical success, instead of historical failure.
He pulled him with the game still up for grabs. It was a bad call IMO. He plays almost every minute for TFC.
He also has 5 assists I believe. These boards would be on fire if Jozy were an uncapped dual citizen with the exact same club career.
He's better than the dual nationals that folks harp on about. Again, tell me one USMNT forward right now who'd have the scoring record in the Eredevisie that Jozy would have. We've had forwards like Agudelo go over there and do squadoosh. Rubio Rubin did OK before his injury, but not in Jozy's ballpark. 51 goals in 93 games. That's his record for AZ. We're not living in fairy tale land here. Everybody knows Jozy isn't an elite international caliber forward. If there was such a player available, everybody would jump on board. Right now in 2019 that player doesn't exist. Maybe the player is young and is still developing, but he's not there yet. So until that player arrives, you go with the best you've got. Right now that's Jozy Altidore. Unless folks actually think its Gyasi Zardes. Cuz he's another player that actually scores goals. Not the headline making teens that never play like Soto. A forward who actually scores goals.
Don't get the intense arguments about Jozy. He's currently the best we have, has had an average/decent club career, and I don't know how many people are saying he shouldn't be on the team. I'm not a huge fan, but yes, we don't have many/any better options. The flip side is that he doesn't really score for the USNT anymore, to the point people bring up pre-Hex qualifying against St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Guatemala in 2015/16, or a goal against Spain in 2010. He scored in one game in a Hex where he was the unquestioned starter and we failed to qualify. He can be part of the team, and I'm ok with that, but he is what he is. I'd start Sargent pretty much every game at this point, and use Jozy as a backup. Great, who cares, why are we arguing about this?
Yes, he did. Not sure if you are saying that's a point for or against him, but yes, he scored once in games (not all 90 mins) against Venezuela, T&T, Panama, Jamaica, and Mexico. His goal against Panama won the 3rd game of the group stage, which was completely meaningless. Pretty similar to his performance in the Hex, to be honest (scored in one game, against Panama, in which we blew them out mostly thx to Pulisic).
He's the BEST we got but that doesn't make this a Proud moment. I rather throw in the Young Guns as they are our future. Give them opportunities to sink or swim. If they fail, recall Jozy. All we have are pointless friendlies and qualifying matches in which we win 4-0 regardless of who's called in. You're right about Zardes.