Calling Jozy Altidore: Your Time is Now

November 9th, 2007 | by: Carter Daly |

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It happened today. The moment every U.S. soccer fan and supporter has been waiting for since that summer night about a little over a year ago when Jozy Altidore first scratched the surface.

It was honestly pretty random if you weren’t a hardcore. Watching the Red Bulls game, this 16 year old kid gets thrown in with a few minutes left against Columbus. Comes in, before you come back to your senses after you realized the kid was 16, he unleashes an in-step laser over whatever scrub was in the Columbus goal that night and runs around the stadium, pointing at the crowd like he has done this before, and that they should have known.

We should have, and now we all do.

Since that night where Jozy said hello to about 8,000 Red Bull fans in person, he has gone on to become the most hyped thing in American soccer since his boy Freddy Adu. And this was before the U-20 World Cup, so you know all the focus was on Jozy. Oh the U-20 World Cup, kid went on to bag four goals, two against Brazil to lead the young yanks to victory.

Ever since, and even before, anyone who has seen the United States need for a true finishing forward has called for his call up to the national team. Time after time there was a conflict or he was just too plain young to be rushed. That all ended today when Bob Bradley made the call everyone had been waiting for.

Today US Soccer released the official roster for the friendly against South Africa on November 17th.

Joining Jozy will be his fellow great hope of American Soccer Freddy Adu, as well as Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, and Clint Dempsey.

Even with the recent coming out party for Freddy Adu at Benfica, and Clint Dempsey’s consistent scoring touch at Craven Cottage, all eyes will be on Jozy Altidore.

Bob Bradley knows this, and will play it his usual conservative self. Probably just a handful of substitute minutes, but don’t let it fool you. Bob and everyone else know who Jozy Altidore is and who he could be. This marks the possible start to a new era of U.S. Soccer.

Judging by recent history, the kid handles hype well, don’t expect anything to change