Altidore Cleared For Olympics by Villarreal

July 5th, 2008 | by: Carter Daly |

Since Jozy Altidore’s transfer to Spanish side Villarreal, the big question on the minds of the die-hards that make up Sam’s Army has been, will Altidore be able to play in the Olympics?

By all accounts, says Jen Chang of ESPN, Villarreal has cleared Altidore to play in the Beijing games.

Altidore had this to say at the Free Kick Masters Tournament, “I think I am playing in the Olympics, it’s probably just a matter of how much time I get with the [U.S.] team,” said Altidore. “If I’m called up, if I’m moved to the roster, hopefully I’ll be a part of the whole thing.

First off, it’s good to have that problem squared away. It was always likely that Jozy would be playing in the Olympics, but to hear it from the horses mouth means that Nowak can move on to other issues, like choosing those all-important overage players. Speaking of which, Jozy should make up one half of a lethal strike partnership with the quite overaged Brian McBride, who is strongly rumored to come out of international retirement at age 36 for the Beijing games.

How do you think Jozy will perform in the Olympics? Who do you look forward to seeing selected? Thoughts on the USA’s medal chances?