American soccer’s most expensive export, $10 million Jozy Altidore, is due to start pre-season training with his new Spanish club Villarreal on Monday. He told Grant Wahl that he’s “just excited, man” and that he “can’t wait to have my first training session and see what it’s like playing European soccer.”
Despite sounding like an eager schoolboy heading off to his first summer camp, Wahl says that Altidore is “equally realistic and optimistic about what awaits him in Spain next season.” Although Altidore scored 18 goals in 48 games for New York “he wasn’t a transcendent player in Major League Soccer.” He still has only three caps for the senior U.S. team, and although he’s expected to be on Peter Nowak’s Olympic roster next month, he didn’t score in any of the four qualifying games in March.
“If you work hard and do what’s asked of you out of your position, then I think you can definitely get some minutes, but it won’t be easy,” said Altidore, who will have at least three forwards above him in the pecking order. “Hopefully I put in the work and the coach recognizes it and he puts me in the game. Any game.” There’s also the growing possibility, says Wahl, that Brian McBride will be named as one of the three over-age U.S. players for Beijing. “If we’re both selected that would be awesome,” said Altidore. “Brian’s a superb player.”