It's been a very good few weeks for U.S. soccer. The Jurgen Klinsmann honeymoon is ongoing, MLS nabbed an unexpected profile-raising new TV deal, and two, count 'em two, MLS teams (FC Dallas and Seattle Sounders) gained CONCACAF Champions League wins in Mexico. That's a terrific threesome of events, but the best news is the return of Jozy Altidore to the goals column.
The former Red Bulls phenom has ridden a lot of pine across Europe since leaving the friendly confines of MLS for the cutthroat world of La Liga and Villarreal in 2008. I don't blame him for boosting his bank balance but his game stalled, and his easy-going attitude seemed to take a hit as well.
Yet Altidore is only 21, and he's still got plenty of game. He just needs to play. And at his new Dutch club, AZ Alkmaar, he's got off to the type of fast start that should ensure playing time as opposed to his wasting more time. He scored two goals against NEC Nijmegen last Sunday, adding to his Eredivisie opening day strike against PSV Eindhoven, and bagged another brace Thursday night in AZ's 6-0 demolition of Aalesund in their Europa League playoff.
It seems Altidore has finally found a home after wandering in soccer's blighted loan deal wilderness for too long. Fellow Bradenton residency program alumni DaMarcus Beasley and Michael Bradley thrived in Dutch football and there is no reason Altidore shouldn't do so as well. He's big, powerful and has a natural instinct for getting into goal-scoring positions. His technique, finishing and stamina, though, have been very questionable for some time. That's why he needs to play. You can't teach size and instincts, but you can improve on the other items on this list. And the Dutch are masters at teaching them.
The presence of U.S. national team World Cup veteran Earnie Stewart in the AZ front office will also help Altidore. It affords him the luxury of an empathetic figure at the club that will ensure an even playing field to display his talents. The outdated attitude that American players are only good for playing in goal, not scoring goals, seemed to prevail once he got to Spain. It's one thing to sit behind a Champions League strike force at Villarreal, but quite another to never kick a ball for Xerez in the second tier.
Granted, Altidore bears plenty of responsibility for his own misfortunes in Europe -- the unfiltered Twitter comments and reported lackluster training ground efforts didn't help his cause at Hull City, but he remains the best U.S. hope to provide a real goal-scoring edge to the front line. And that's why Altidore blooming again in Holland is the best possible news for U.S. soccer.
Altidore has scored 12 goals in 39 internationals for the U.S. on raw talent alone. That's a pretty good return by any standard, and why U.S. fans love him. He's feasted mainly on CONCACAF opponents, including Mexico, which is fine, but for the U.S. to really lodge itself in the FIFA top 10, it must have a striker who defenders fear. At the moment, Altidore still has the potential to be that player.
Klinsmann, the new U.S. national team head coach, has made it clear that he wants high energy and a matching attitude from his players. These are two areas that Altidore must work on. Team defense was a problem area under Klinsmann's predecessor, Bob Bradley. It begins up front, and Altidore never seemed fond of chasing down defenders to pressure them from playing easy balls out of the back. For all the California sunshine evident in Klinsmann's demeanor, no one should forget that his standards are ultimately of German engineered precision. German soccer doesn't tolerate timeouts on the field -- only results. Altidore will do well to remember that.
Like Bradley before him, Klinsmann will give Altidore every opportunity to thrive and mature. But the new sheriff in town will expect his young gun to be playing and scoring goals regularly to ultimately be part of his American Revolution. With the new season underway, Altidore has made a giant stride in that direction.