115-cap USMNT striker set to become free agent as MLS team prepare buyout
Former USMNT forward Jozy Altidore has left the New England Revolution after the club exercised a one-time buyout option this summer.
The 33-year-old is now free to sign for another club after the Revs called time on the striker's stay at Gillette Stadium, after two years which brought just two goals in 30 outings. In all, the veteran ace started just six games in Boston and spent six months of last year on loan at Liga MX team Club Puebla.
With a plethora of options at his disposal in attacking positions, coach Bruce Arena has the likes of former USMNT star Bobby Wood as well as designated players (DPs) Gustavo Bou and Giacomo Vrioni to choose from. In letting former Hull City and Sunderland man Altidore depart, this will also see the player's contract from removed from the club’s salary cap.
As per ESPN, data from the MLS Players Association has shown that Altidore was earning $2.94m in wages - of which Toronto FC were still paying a proportion and the decision means that he can now sign for any other MLS club or, indeed, move abroad. The one-time buyout rule does mean the club will still have to pay his wages but the team's corresponding salary budget has been freed up.
The Revs announced on Thursday night they had agreed a buyout with Altidore, as they look to consolidate their position in the MLS Eastern Conference. New England are currently sitting in fourth place in the standings, which would see Arena's team qualify for the final series.
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Having scored 42 goals for his country in 115 appearances, the New Jersey-born forward's legacy as one of the foremost attacking performers in US history is already secure. Altidore was named as the US Soccer Player of the Year on two occasions in 2013 and 2016, while also picking up a winner's medal for his part in the Gold Cup win of 2017.
He also represented the nation at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, as well as scoring a memorable effort against future world champions Spain in the Confederations Cup semi final in 2009 to send the US on to a 2-0 victory. The USMNT would go on to lose the final versus Brazil 3-2.
Jozy Altidore moved on from Toronto to join New England in 2022His club record in his home nation is also enviable, with the former New York Red Bulls trainee having scored 97 times in MLS, while notching 30 assists across 202 appearances. The bulk of these strikes came for Toronto FC, where he scored 79 times and served as a catalyst as the Canadians won the MLS Cup back in 2017.
However, the physically-gifted striker has experienced some goal droughts littered throughout what has been something of a journeyman career. Aside from his woes in from of goal in New England, his two spells in England yielded just five goals in all competitions across three Premier League seasons.
His recent struggles in this respect have not put off prospective employers in the Greek top flight, however, with AEK Athens and PAOK both harbouring an interest in his services. They will be hoping he will be able to rediscover the form he showed during a AZ Alkmaar over a decade ago, where he scored 23 goals in his final season and won the Dutch Cup.
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