Foxborough, MASS – After an up-and-down time in Toronto, Jozy Altidore has a new home. The American striker has moved south of the border and he is now a New England Revolution player. Altidore previously worked under Bruce Arena during the latter’s second (albeit brief) spell at the helm of the USMNT. The pairs’ paths also crossed in New York with the Red Bulls, and so it’ll be fascinating to see where this next chapter takes them.
Jozy Altidore signs with the New England Revolution
Altidore arrives in Boston at the age of thirty-two and whilst he’s in the twilight of his career, he still has a lot to provide. Adam Buksa and Gustavo Bou lead the line last term for the Revs as they romped to the Supporters’ Shield. It is very unlikely that Altidore will start all that many games, but he can provide great depth. This is especially relevant given the increase in matches, New England qualifying for CCL and all.
#SCCL22 update:
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) February 13, 2022
Altidore began with the Red Bulls back in 2006 and after a couple of prolific years, he made the move to Europe. Whereas the likes of Tajon Buchanan and Matt Turner are being signed by European sides and it seems like nothing, back then it was more irregular. He began with Villarreal in Spain but was unable to make an impact, going out on loan a number of times. From an English perspective, the striker was with Hull in 2009 before later playing for Sunderland AFC In his two years with the Blackcats, he netted just once. Altidore’s numbers from the Premier League shouldn’t take away from his impact on the game stateside though.
Competition for Jozy Altidore
As previously mentioned, Buksa and Bou are the current competition for Altidore upfront. The former recently made his debut for the Polish national team alongside the one and only Robert Lewandowski. Buksa had a superb season in New England’s record-breaking year to the point where he is reportedly attracting serious interest from several European sides. Bou on the other hand maybe thirty-one, but he still very much has the IT factor. The Argentine netted fifteen times last term, Buksa scoring just one more.
86 @MLS goals.
115 @USMNT caps.
Goalscorer.@JozyAltidore is your newest member of the #NERevs pic.twitter.com/XYk9FWGpTi— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) February 14, 2022
Looking beyond the dynamic duo up top and Altidore brings much-needed depth to the table. Justin Rennicks is an academy graduate waiting in the wings plus there is Ugandan Edward Kizza who is also young. Altidore can come in when the calendar gets particularly busy and at the same time, he can be a great mentor for the aforementioned pair.
The forward’s full attention will be on the New England Revolution
The USMNT prospects for Jozy Altidore are behind him now, the forward’s last cap coming in 2019. He scored his last goal for the US in June 2019 at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City against Panama. Gyasi Zardes is another more experienced name who is no longer in the picture due to the emergence of many young stars. Timothy Weah was a Ligue 1 winner with Lille last season and Ricardo Pepi recently secured an eight-figure move to Bundesliga side Augsburg. Altidore will no longer be in contention for a USMNT spot and so his full attention will be in New England.
Click here to read my season preview for the Revs!
