Jozy Altidore facts for kids
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Altidore with the United States in 2019
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Josmer Volmy Altidore | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | November 6, 1989 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Livingston, New Jersey, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Striker | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | IMG Soccer Academy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | New York Red Bulls | 37 | (15) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2011 | Villarreal | 9 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | → Xerez (loan) | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | → Hull City (loan) | 28 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | → Bursaspor (loan) | 12 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | AZ | 67 | (39) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Sunderland | 42 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2021 | Toronto FC | 139 | (62) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | New England Revolution | 27 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | → Puebla (loan) | 6 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | United States U17 | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | United States U20 | 5 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | United States U23 | 3 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2019 | United States | 115 | (42) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of June 3, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Josmer Volmy "Jozy" Altidore (born November 6, 1989) is an American professional soccer player. He plays as a striker, which is a player who mainly tries to score goals. He last played for the Major League Soccer club New England Revolution.
Altidore started his professional career in 2006. He was only 16 years old when he joined the New York Red Bulls. In 2008, he moved to Villarreal in Spain for a large fee. While with Villarreal, he played on loan for other teams. These included Xerez in Spain, Hull City in England, and Bursaspor in Turkey.
In 2011, he joined AZ in the Netherlands. He became a top scorer there. In 2013, Altidore joined Sunderland in England. After a tough time scoring goals, he returned to MLS with Toronto FC.
Jozy Altidore has also played for the U.S. national team. He has played in many big tournaments. These include the FIFA World Cup and the CONCACAF Gold Cup. He is known for his strength and goal-scoring ability.
Contents
Early Life and Soccer Beginnings
Jozy Altidore was born in Livingston, New Jersey. He grew up in Boca Raton, Florida. He is the youngest of four children. His parents came from Haiti.
From a young age, Jozy loved playing soccer. He played for different youth teams in Florida. He also trained with the U-17 national team. This training happened at the IMG Academy in Bradenton.
Club Career Highlights
Starting with New York Red Bulls
The MetroStars (now New York Red Bulls) picked Altidore in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft. He was the seventeenth player chosen. He spent most of his first season finishing high school.
Altidore played his first professional game on August 23, 2006. He scored his first goal on September 16, 2006. He was only 16 years old. He quickly became a fan favorite. He also became the youngest player to score in the MLS playoffs.
Playing in Europe: Spain, England, and Turkey
In 2008, Villarreal in Spain signed Altidore. This was a big move for an MLS player at the time. He became the first American to score a goal in Spain's top league, La Liga.
To get more playing time, Altidore went on loan. He played for Xerez in Spain in 2009. Then he moved to Hull City in England for the 2009–10 season. He scored his first and only Premier League goal against Manchester City. In 2011, he played on loan for Bursaspor in Turkey.
Success with AZ in the Netherlands
On July 15, 2011, Altidore joined AZ in the Netherlands. He had a great start, scoring in his first game. He scored many goals for AZ.
In the 2012–13 season, he scored his first hat-trick (three goals in one game) for a club. He scored three hat-tricks that season. He also helped AZ win the KNVB Cup, a major Dutch trophy. He scored the winning goal in the final. Altidore finished as one of the top scorers in the Dutch league.
Return to England with Sunderland
In 2013, Altidore moved back to England to play for Sunderland. He signed a four-year contract. He scored his first goal for Sunderland in a League Cup match. He also played well in a big derby game against Newcastle. However, he struggled to score many goals in the league.
In January 2015, he left Sunderland. He had scored only three goals in 52 games for the club.
Becoming a Star at Toronto FC
In 2015, Jozy Altidore joined Toronto FC in Major League Soccer. He was a "Designated Player," which means he was one of the team's highest-paid stars. His U.S. teammate, Michael Bradley, also played for Toronto FC.
Altidore scored two goals in his first game for Toronto. He quickly became a key player. He helped Toronto FC reach the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time in 2015.
In 2016, he helped Toronto FC win the 2016 Canadian Championship. This was his first trophy with the club. He also played a big part in Toronto reaching the MLS Cup Final that year. They lost the final on penalties.
The 2017 season was amazing for Altidore and Toronto FC. He formed a strong partnership with Sebastian Giovinco. Altidore scored many important goals. He helped Toronto win the Supporters' Shield for having the best regular season record.
Toronto FC reached the MLS Cup Final again in 2017. Altidore scored the first goal in the final. Toronto won the match 2–0, winning their first-ever MLS Cup! Altidore was named the MLS Cup Most Valuable Player (MVP). He finished the season with 18 goals.
In 2018, Altidore helped Toronto FC reach the CONCACAF Champions League final. This is a big tournament for North American teams. He scored important goals in the tournament. Toronto lost the final in a penalty shootout. He also helped Toronto win the 2018 Canadian Championship.
He continued to play for Toronto FC until 2021. He scored his 50th goal for the club in 2018. In 2019, he scored in the MLS Cup Final again, but Toronto lost.
Later Career: New England Revolution and Puebla
In February 2022, Altidore joined the New England Revolution. He played 27 league games and scored two goals for them. In July 2022, he went on a six-month loan to Puebla in Mexico. The New England Revolution bought out his contract in June 2023.
International Career for the United States
Altidore has played for the United States at many levels. He played in the FIFA U-17 World Championship in 2005. He also played in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2007, where he scored four goals. He was part of the U-23 team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
He made his debut for the senior national team in 2007. In 2009, he scored his first international hat-trick against Trinidad and Tobago. This made him the youngest American to do so. He also scored a key goal against Spain in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup semi-final. The U.S. team won that game 2–0.
Altidore played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He has played over 110 games for the U.S. team. He has scored 42 goals, making him one of the top scorers in U.S. history.
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In 2013, Altidore ended a long goal-scoring drought. He scored in four straight international games. This tied a U.S. record. He then broke the record by scoring in five consecutive games. He scored a hat-trick against Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2013.
In 2017, he reached 100 international games for the U.S. team. He helped the U.S. win the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He scored important goals in the tournament final.
How Jozy Altidore Plays
Jozy Altidore is a fast and strong striker. He is good at scoring goals. He also helps his teammates by linking up plays. His height and strength make him good at holding the ball. He can play as a main striker or a second striker.
Personal Life
In 2007, Altidore was a candidate for ESPN's Next Award. He was also featured in Adidas' "Impossible is Nothing" ads. He appeared on the cover of the North American version of FIFA 08 video game.
After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Altidore helped with relief efforts. He asked people to donate to help Haiti. He talked about his family in Haiti on CNN.
In 2012, he honored the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. He wrote their names on his soccer boots.
In 2019, he proposed to his girlfriend, tennis star Sloane Stephens. They got married on January 1, 2022.
Altidore is also part of a group that bought a share of the Buffalo Bills football team. He is a big fan of American football.
Honors
AZ
- KNVB Cup: 2012–13
Sunderland
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2013–14
Toronto FC
- MLS Cup: 2017; runner-up: 2016, 2019
- Supporters' Shield: 2017
- Canadian Championship: 2016, 2017, 2018; runner-up: 2019
- CONCACAF Champions League runner-up: 2018
- Campeones Cup runner-up: 2018
United States
- CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2017; runner-up 2011, 2019
- FIFA Confederations Cup runner-up: 2009
Individual
- U.S. Soccer Young Male Athlete of the Year: 2006
- U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year: 2013, 2016
- MLS All-Star: 2015, 2017
- MLS Cup MVP Award: 2017
- CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI: 2017
Images for kids
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Altidore (number 17) celebrates the United States' victory against Algeria at the 2010 FIFA World Cup
See also
In Spanish: Jozy Altidore para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
