Not many pro soccer players miss a match to take their girlfriend to senior prom. But Josmer Altidore, 17, from Boca Raton got permission from the MLS’s Red Bulls coach to act like a teenager for one night last month to escort Rochelle Moncrieffe to her North Broward Prep dance.
Altidore will be back on the world soccer stage today when the U.S. Under-20 team opens play in the FIFA World Cup. The U.S. faces Korea at 5 p.m. in Montreal. "I want to be successful in the World Cup with my team," said Altidore, who is the youngest on the 21-player roster.
"I just want to help us do as well as we possibly can whether it is scoring goals, or setting them up or cheering somebody on from the sideline." Altidore played with the Boca Juniors and later the Schulz Academy in Boca Raton from U-9s to U-17s. He graduated from the Edison Academic Center in Bradenton, while he was in residency with the U-17 national team. The 6-foot-1, 187-pound forward is a probable starter. Altidore, nicknamed Jozy, missed two months of training after he had surgery for torn ligaments and two broken bones in his left thumb in October. He says he is finally healthy again. "My body definitely felt the best it has all season actually," said Altidore, who has played in 12 games and scored two goals during his career with the U-20s.
"Now that I am on the team, it is a great feeling. I felt like I had just received a tremendous amount of responsibility with representing my country in the biggest stage the world has to offer."
Altidore, who scored 19 goals and four assists with the U-17 team in 2005, also has fared well in the professional ranks. He scored six goals in 18 appearances with the Red Bulls. Five of those were game-winning goals and he also has a game-winning assist. Last season he became the youngest player to score in the MLS playoffs at 16 years, 357 days, breaking DaMarcus Beasley’s record by almost three years.
Altidore doesn’t have a driver’s license, although he has a learner’s permit, and he is shuttled to games and practices from his New Jersey apartment by his mother, Gisele, whom he calls "the ultimate soccer mom." Altidore said the World Cup will give him the opportunity to showcase his talents and maybe earn a more lucrative contract overseas. "I want the team to do well to really show everybody that the U.S. is not a sub-par soccer nation," Altidore said. The comparisons to his famous teammate, Freddy Adu, are endless.
Altidore said he and Adu are friends. "As far as Jozy’s concerned, he comes in and doesn’t have all of the media hype, hoopla or whatever," Adu said. "He comes in and he is performing. I hope he keeps it up and that will take a little bit of the spotlight off me too.
He’s got something that I don’t which is size. That’s huge." Altidore said he tries to stay grounded. "It has definitely been a whirlwind for me," Altidore said. "It has gone so fast....I could be getting ready for school, and instead of that I am kicking back thinking how am I going to beat a defense. It is really a blessing."
"Watching the positive and constant development of America’s first Division, the MLS, and the young talented US Men’s National Team, I think the future of soccer in America is very bright. Josmer has all the tools to be a factor in the World Cup 2010 in South Africa in 3 years. He is in best hands with Bruce Arena at Red Bull New York, who does the right thing with Josmer, not overusing him. Although the signing of Juan Pablo Angel reduces the playing time for Josmer, but it also takes away a lot of pressure from him to perform constantly in this young age, which could tamper his development.
Looking at the forwards of the Men’s National Team, the US has very good players, but I think in 3 years Josmer will be the best of them. Therefore I hope for him that after the U20 World Cup in Canada he will be invited to the Men’s National Team Camps, where he could already be part of the team he hopefully will play for at the World Cup in South Africa 2010. Bob Bradley right now does a great job finding the best young players for the future, and I am sure he will give Josmer also the chance at the right time", hopes Dr. Josef Schulz, Josmer’s former coach at Boca Juniors and the Schulz Academy.
Josmer Altidore (Middle), representing already at a young age of 17, not only Major League Soccer, but also big companies like Adidas.
