Jozy Altidore Talks Up USA’s World Cup Chances, Soccer’s All-Time Greats

The FIFA World Cup kickoff in two weeks. The tournament between the world’s best national soccer teams usually takes place every four years in the summer. This year’s competition takes place in Qatar, smack dab in the middle of the Persian Gulf, where blistering summer temperatures have moved the 2022 World Cup to November.

Also hot after last summer’s 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) returns to global competition after an unusual four-year stint in with missed both the 2018 World Cup and the 2020 Olympics.

And of course one of USMNT’s biggest fanatics is none other than longtime USA striker Jozy Altidore. The 33-year-old forward played for the USMNT first team from 2007 to 2019, scoring 42 goals in 115 appearances as an international.

Altidore said this week that he thinks the current crop of American players …

“This team’s biggest strength is their ability to work together as a single unit,” Altidore said, while also hinting that forward Christian Pulisic and midfielder Weston McKennie are ready to shock the world.

Currently Altidore is a member of the New England Revolution in Major League Soccer (MLS), which jsut concluded its season and playoffs this week. During his time as a professional, Altidore has also paid in the English PremierPINC
League for Sunderland AFC, as well as in Spain for Villarreal and the Netherlands for AZ Alkmaar. Throughout his career, the 6-foot-1 Altidore has been known as a combative attacker noted for his height, strength, and ability in the air.

Off the field, Altidore is also quite the entrepreneur. He recently launched an e-commerce company called Footymarket, an online soccer platform, or “soccer community ecosystem,” as Altidore likes to call it, that connects fans, coaches, and players to it “RE-commerce” platform, where members can buy and sell pre-owned gear and equipment.

VIDEO: Jozy Altidore puts one in for the USA vs Costa Rica

“Families, coaches, teams, players and even soccer retail stores (all) have a lot of idle or even outgrown items that are still in great shape,” Altidore said about the platform. “It’s our hope is to connect people who may want to earn some money, help the environment, and (offer) discounts for those underserved and in need. So everyone wins.”

Altidore, who is currently represented by Paradigm Sports, explained that on his platform, Footymarket members set up a “locker” as part of their account, from which other members can view and shop.

Additionally, Footymarket’s soon-to-be-announced celebrity ambassadors will also a locker. altidore adds that pro soccer players “can offer exclusive game-worn or signed gear, to raise money that can go back to help those in need—particularly underserved youth players registration fees, scholarships or wherever its needed most.”

“Our intention is to ultimately connect the full on soccer community as an inclusive ecosystem,” Altidore said, “so everyone helps each other, connecting fans, players, celebrities and governing bodies. It’s time to change the game.”

This week I connected with Altidore to get his thoughts on the current state of soccer and what’s in store for the World Cup.

Andy Frye: The World Cup is almost here. After a rough few years, USMNT seems to have a bright young team.

Where do you see them against England in the Group Stage, or against teams like Belgium, Denmark or Uruguay?

Jozy Altidore: Yeah, absolutely. I think the team’s average age is around 24 years old and there’s more players playing in the top European leagues now compared to five years ago. I think it’ll be really important for them to come out with points in their first game against Wales, which will give them confidence and momentum against England.

Most people will agree that England are favorites to win the group but they’ve had a challenging six months and anything can happen, especially in a single game in a neutral location. The difference between the current US team and Belgium, Denmark, and Uruguay is experience. The core group of players for those teams have been playing together for three World Cup cycles and have major tournament experience together.

AF: Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie look like players who can add versatility and balance. How big a role will they play? What other USMNT players might steal the show?

Altidore: Christian and Weston are fundamental for this team and they’re going to be two of the guys that the rest of the group is going to be relying on for leadership. But I’d say two players that aren’t always the first mentioned that I expect big contributions from are Brenden Aaronson and Yunus Musah.

I’d say those two guys have surpassed initial expectations with their club teams over the past 12 months. Brenden’s energy and ability to put defenders on the back foot is going to be important in the attacking third and Yunus’ works really well in the midfield with Weston and Tyler and links up the play nicely.

AF: You’ve played in La Liga, the Prem, the Netherlands, and also the MLS. How different is it playing in Europe versus in the US?

Altidore: I was able to experience MLS 15 years ago when games were still being played in college football stadiums and the league was in its infancy. Everyone knows the huge growth the league has gone through, so getting to experience that firsthand makes me optimistic and excited about the next 15 years.

There’s still an overall soccer cultural gap between the US and Europe. In Europe, fans have been living and breathing their team’s colors and history for decades. Soccer, without a doubt, has been the most popular sport worldwide, so there’s an additional level of attention and passion. But like I said, there’s been a big increase in the quality of play and the amount of eyeballs on MLS. By the time the 2026 World Cup takes place on our home soil that gap will be even smaller.

AF: What are your most memorable moments as a soccer player for the US?

Altidore: There’s a lot but getting to the Confederations Cup Final is one that stands out; that was my first experience with the national team on a global scale and scoring against Spain in the semi-final was the cherry on top. I’d also include getting to be a part of two World Cup teams, that’s every young player’s dream so being able to do that is something that I’ll always look back on fondly.

AF: What players influenced you most as a young player? And who did you relish playing against as a pro and an international?

Altidore: Being a young kid in the late ’90s and early 2000’s, Ronaldo (of Brazil) was unmatched. He’s the complete forward and his drive to score big goals really inspired me. Another one is Gabriel Batistuta. As for players that I got to play against, (Lionel) Messi was pretty remarkable.