JOZY ALTIDORE INTERVIEW – EXCLUSIVE

By: Matt | September 24th, 2009

JA Interview

So here you are folks, straight from the good people at Hull City AFC, who so graciously allow us here at the Offside prime access to their exclusive interviews….the first with American wunderkind Jozy Altidore. So lets put all the recent poor form behind us, forget the Carling Cup, and lets hear what the big man has to say about life with the Tigers.

Hull City AFC

CITY Magazine interview / / issue 49 September 2009

JOZY ALTIDORE

A Star in Stripes

The barbecue summer that never was is almost at an end. With that in mind, there is a touch of irony about the sight of Jozy Altidore easing himself onto a wooden bench at Hull City’s training ground.
Altidore is used to warm weather. He was raised in Florida, America’s sunshine state. The temperature rarely dips below 30 degrees. Even so, he’s pleasantly surprised by the clear blue skies over Cottingham.
“Is it this hot all the time?” he asks as he shields his eyes from the late August sun.
“They told me England is a beautiful country but they said the weather wouldn’t be that great. Who were they kidding?”
Ten minutes later and Altidore is reaching for his jacket. It has clouded over. A cold breeze is blowing the leaves off the nearby trees and there are spits and spots of rain in the air. Welcome to England. Welcome to Hull. »
Fortunately, the weather is the last thing on Altidore’s mind. The strapping striker is determined to make a big impact in the Barclays Premier League. In terms of City’s search for a new goalscorer, he is the one that didn’t get away. The Tigers believe they could have netted a prize catch. He may ‘only’ be 19 and he may lack Barclays Premier League experience but Altidore has scored goals wherever he’s played, New York, Spain – the list goes on.
During the summer, he was a resounding success in South Africa when America stunned everyone – and not least Italy and Spain – by reaching the final of the Confederations Cup where they gave a full-strength Brazil side a run for their money. All this might surprise some people in England. After all, over here the words football and America hardly roll off the tongue. In fact, when they do they conjure names like the Miami Dolphins and the Washington Redskins.
However, soccer is making rapid strides on the other side of the Atlantic and it’s exciting young players like Altidore who are putting America on the world map.
His face has been used to spearhead several promotional campaigns. He’s one of America’s most popular players. His list of friends includes some giants of American showbiz. For all that, though, he’s modest, quietly spoken and well mannered.
As he talks, his rich drawl-like accent means you almost expect him to be wearing a baseball cap back-to-front while clutching a basketball or pulling on a grid-iron helmet. However, soccer runs deep through his blood.
“I played a little bit of basketball growing up,” he explains, “but it’s always been soccer for me. My family is from the islands, the Caribbean… Haiti, the Dominican Republic. In those countries, soccer is the number one. In the Dominican Republic, they play a bit of baseball but it’s mainly soccer. My dad played when I was growing up so for me, soccer was a pretty easy decision.”His parents – Altidore is one of four children – left the Caribbean before he was born. He was brought up in the tough suburb of Livingston, New Jersey, before another move, this time to the small town of Boca Raton in Florida. At school, he admits most of his friends dreamed of becoming the next baseball or basketball star. Altidore, though, only had one ambition – and one sport – on his mind.
“There’s a lot of kids play soccer in the States. It’s very popular when you are young. I played basketball when I was 14. I was pretty good but my big interest was soccer. In New Jersey, you are talking about an urban area and some of those areas are really tough, and I mean tough. Soccer is played a bit but it’s mainly basketball and baseball.
“There again, we’ve had some good soccer players come out of New Jersey – guys like Claudio Reyna, Tim Howard and Michael Bradley. Kids play a mix of sports but me? I guess I was never happier than when I was on a soccer pitch.”
Altidore’s big break came in the summer of 2006 when he was snapped up by Major League side New York Red Bulls who were then known as the ‘Metro Stars’. He scored his first goal for them at the age of 16 in a 3-1 cup win against DC United.
It was the start of a long-list of firsts. The goals – and the adulation from the fans – started to flow. He became the youngest ever player to score in the end-of-season play-offs. Throw in the fact that he scored on his first appearance for his country and then became the youngest player to score a hat-trick for America in a World Cup qualifier and it’s easy to see why European-based clubs were soon following his progress. In June 2008, Spanish side Villarreal paid a reported ten million dollars to tempt him across the Atlantic. Sure enough, Altidore became the first American player to score in La Liga after a goal against Atletico Bilbao.
Now he’s in Hull, those firsts have continued. Just about his first touch in the Barclays Premier League led to Hull’s winning goal against Bolton. Then, three days later, he marked his first start for the Tigers by netting his first goal in England… this time in a Carling Cup win against Southend United at the KC Stadium. Altidore is not the first American-born player to represent the Tigers but he is the first to arrive at the club via New York and Spain. He takes up his career story to date.
“Signing for Red Bulls was definitely my big break. I was only 16 but I was very fortunate in that our manager believed in me so I got a lot of game time. I guess things went well and I loved playing in the Major League but I’d always wanted to play in Europe – in one of the real big leagues.
“I thought it would take time but I got the move to Spain pretty quickly, after just two or three years. It meant leaving a lot behind but you’ve got to be prepared to make sacrifices. Anyway, it was a good decision. I was at a good team (Villarreal) in a good league and with better players. Ten million dollars – or whatever they paid for me – was a lot of money but it was good for me to get out there.”
On the pitch, Altidore’s many nicknames include ‘The Beast’ – a clear indication of his physical, no-nonsense approach. Off it, he’s cool, calm and collected. He talks very quietly, almost in a whisper.
However, a suggestion that he didn’t quite make the grade in Spain brings an abrasive response. » The facts are that after just a few games for Villarreal, he was loaned out to Second Division side Xerez. There, a toe-nail injury restricted his appearances. At the end of the season, he returned to Villarreal. Some say his future was in doubt until the Tigers came-a-calling.
“I wouldn’t say it didn’t work out for me (at Villarreal). I was 18 when I went to Spain. There were a lot of big stars and I was expected to be the top scorer at the club.
“There were some problems behind the scenes but I’d say it went well for me. I learned a hell of a lot and grew up pretty quickly. It was my introduction to European football, all part of the plan. The loan move? Sure, that didn’t go as well but that was because of a few injuries.”
City’s search for a new striker has, of course, been well documented. Their extensive scouting system took in Altidore and Phil Brown made his move ahead of several rival clubs.
“I didn’t know Hull were watching me,” says Altidore. “I knew about Hull as a club. I’d watched their games on TV last season and they racked up some pretty impressive results. When they came in for me, I guess it was good timing. I was in need of playing and they were in need of players so it suited us both.”
Altidore was quickly introduced to the local media at the KC Stadium but problems with red tape held up his clearance – and his debut. Before he could pull on a black and amber shirt, he jetted back to America for a World Cup qualifier.
That led to more delays. He was detained in America amid a swine flu scare. Then, there were further problems with his international clearance. To add to his obvious annoyance, other American players – including Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard – were cleared for Barclays Premier League action.
Altidore admits: “I’d spoken to Clint and Tim about playing in England and they said – go for it.
“I was really excited. All I wanted to do was play for Hull but because of the delays, I was back home in a hotel kicking just about anything I could. It was very frustrating. I felt like I was letting people down. But the people at Hull worked really hard to sort things out and it was great when I finally got the OK to come over.”
Altidore flew into England on the Friday morning before the Bolton game, took a helicopter ride to Hull and then lined up on the subs’ bench against ‘The Trotters’ – in a pair of borrowed boots. It wasn’t how he’d planned his arrival. He – and City – needn’t have worried. Soon after coming on, his clever flick set up the match-winning goal for fellow new signing Kamel Ghilas.
“It took some getting here but my first game couldn’t have gone much better. The fans – everyone – seemed to go out of their way to make me comfortable. It was great to start with a win, especially at home. The (KC) stadium is a glorious place. I love it and we have to make it our fortress. Whoever comes there needs to know it’s going to be tough.”
Altidore is aware of the heavy weight of expectation on his still young shoulders. He’s the player that City fans are hoping and praying will prove to be that elusive 15-goal-a-season man.
“I’m not bothered by that,” he adds. “People are going to say what they want and there’s nothing you can do about it. You’ve just got to play it. You’ve got to try and score as many goals as you can but all I can do is go out and do my best. If my best isn’t good enough, well all I can do is try.”It seems nothing worries Altidore. He is a laid-back character although he has plenty of things to focus on. Soon after the interview, he was due to fly back to America for the next stage of their World Cup qualifying campaign. Then, of course, there are a series of mouth-watering clashes in the Barclays Premier League…”the best in the world,” he says with genuine excitement and anticipation.
“It’s great with all the big games, stuff like that. You want to test yourself against the best players. That’s what it’s all about. I think Hull will do well. I don’t see why not. The manager has made some good signings and I’m sure we can surprise people.
“I’ve seen a few of the players on TV. The manager is a good man. He has vision for the team. Whatever he puts up on the board, we’ve got to make sure we give it our best.”
Apart from leading the Tigers’ quest for precious Barclays Premier League points, Altidore looks certain to play a major part in America’s bid to secure a place in next year’s World Cup finals in South Africa. The Confederations Cup was seen by many as a dress rehearsal for the big event and America’s performances – Altidore scored in a 2-0 win against Spain – suggests they could be a force in the tournament proper.
“South Africa was a wonderful experience. Getting so far – we thought we could do it but we lost to Brazil in the final. That wasn’t easy to swallow. It’s still not easy to swallow but it’s all about the next test.
“We want to get to those finals. Can you imagine what it would do for the game back home? Soccer is definitely getting bigger – and stronger. A lot of kids play. It’s growing and growing and who knows where we’ll be in 10 or 20 years’ time.”Altidore is more than happy to promote the game. He’s appeared in advertising campaigns for some of the world’s top companies, including Adidas and ESPN.
“It’s all to raise the profile of soccer and encourage the young players. Over here, you probably don’t know about players like Charles Rankin but just watch him. He’s a great talent and one for the future. You might not know the name now but look again in two or three years. Hopefully, guys like him will have an easier path than us but overall, I’m sure the future for soccer in America is really positive.”
There is little doubt David Beckham’s move to LA Galaxy has also lifted the profile of the sport even further.
“I was a little bit nervous about the whole Beckham thing but in terms of putting people in seats then it’s worked. But to put it all on one man and say ‘here you go’ is a little unfair. People are working hard, though. Major League Soccer is growing and some of the top sides would do pretty well in Europe.
“In fact, it would be great to see American clubs play in Europe on a regular basis and test where we are at. There might be problems matching the seasons up but a tournament with everyone involved – yeah, that would be great.”
When it comes to club football, Altidore is totally committed to the Tigers. He’s joined on a season-long loan although City have an option to buy him on a longer-term basis…if they like Altidore and if Altidore likes Hull. Already, the signs are promising.
“Hull? Yeah, I’ve been around. It’s a decent, hard working type of place and the people deserve a good team. I guess it’s an easy going type of city – a bit different to New York but hey, that’s no bad thing.
“I just want to play soccer, do well this season and who knows what will happen after. I’m only looking at the next game. I haven’t set targets. I just want to contribute something positive. If we win, it doesn’t matter about individual performances. The goal is to win and get some points.”Altidore hopes his family will fly to England to watch him in action. There’s also a chance a few well-known faces could follow his progress. His long-list of friends includes Wyclef Jean.
“I know a couple of famous people. It kind of comes with the territory. Wyclef Jean is a big friend of football and I’m sure he’ll catch some of our games.”In the meantime, the young striker is determined to settle into his new surroundings.
“Soccer is pretty much my life. I like to relax away from the club and get away from the game anyway I can. I guess I won’t be going down the beach like I used to back home in Florida. In fact, is there a beach here? Whatever… Hull’s good enough for me and I’m not here to sit on some stretch of sand.
“Everything is going to be different to back home and to Spain, the food – everything. The food here is great. There are some nice places to eat but tell me, what do you call it – pattie and chips – what’s that? I guess I’ll have to try some!”