Jozy Altidore Earns Game-Winning Penalty Kick for Sunderland

by Roderick MacNeil

Jozy Altidore goes down on the game-winning PK call against Chelsea (Mike Hewitt – Getty Images)

Is there light at the end of the tunnel for Jozy Altidore at Sunderland?

Saturday at Stamford Bridge, the beleaguered USMNT striker played the hero against Chelsea, earning a decisive penalty kick in the 81st minute. The resulting goal put Sunderland ahead 2:1, and the Black Cats held on for a massive upset over the title-chasing Blues. It also gives great hope for cellar-dweller Sunderland to survive relegation.

The penalty call was not without controversy. The sequence began with Altidore intercepting an errant ball just a few yards outside the 18-yard box. He took a few touches toward goal with Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta pursuing closely. Azpilicueta went to ground in a slide-tackling motion and Altidore quickly hit the floor as well. Slow-motion replays showed no clear contact initiated by the defender. Altidore appeared to go down easily, while his left leg ended up on top of the defender’s foot as he fell. From the angle the play was viewed by the official, it’s easy to see how a foul could be called. In truth it was a dubious call at the very best.

Outrage followed on the Chelsea sideline. Assistant coach Rui Faria had to be physically restrained by Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and others to keep him from confronting head referee Mike Dean. Faria was ejected from the sideline and escorted down the tunnel before order was restored.

Altidore entered the match as a substitute in the 66th minute. It marked his first appearance in a Premier League match for Sunderland since March 26. He was left off the game day roster entirely for two consecutive matches, including one week suffering the indignity of an assignment to the club’s U-21 side. Three days ago Altidore was an unused substitute in a 2:2 draw at Manchester City.

For Chelsea, the loss was a shocking and devastating blow to its Premier League title hopes. They could potentially drop five points behind first-place Liverpool ahead of the showdown between the two clubs next week at Anfield. Liverpool plays Sunday at Norwich City.

Sunderland now finds itself with emboldened hopes of avoiding relegation from the Premier League. Despite still sitting at the bottom of the table, the club is a mere three points below the drop zone. The remaining schedule also seems to favor Sunderland.

The Black Cats have three remaining home matches against Cardiff City, West Brom and Swansea City, along with a single away fixture at Manchester United. Meanwhile, fellow relegation-battler Norwich City faces the very real prospect of not earning another point the rest of the season, with a daunting schedule: home vs. Liverpool, at Manchester United, at Chelsea, home vs. Arsenal. Even a surprise draw or two would likely prove insufficient for Norwich.

More importantly for the United States Men’s National Team, there are signs of life from Jozy Altidore. First of all, just the fact that he got the field is a huge step in the right direction. Entering with the scored tied in such a critical match shows that he’s slowly regaining the trust of Sunderland manager Gus Poyet. Even better is that Altidore made good use of the minutes he spent on the pitch. He was active and involved, causing problems for the Chelsea defense. In addition to the key turnover leading to the PK call, Altidore found himself in dangerous positions on several occasions. He also showed flashes of the quality holdup play that has been so effective in USMNT matches.

There’s still plenty of reason to be concerned about Altidore’s longer term future at Sunderland. Whether Sunderland survives relegation will play a big part in answering those questions. But in the short term leading up to the 2014 World Cup, Jurgen Klinsmann has to be pleased to see Altidore getting minutes again. A productive appearance today could bode well for Altidore’s playing time in the final weeks of the Premier League season.

Sunderland next plays on Sunday, April 27 at home in a massive relegation battle vs. Cardiff City.

The Jozy Altidore Problem

by Roderick MacNeil

Jozy Altidore’s struggles are an ongoing concern for the USMNT. (Getty Images)

USMNT Head Coach Jurgen Klinsmann has a problem on his hands. His top striker, the man who lines up atop the self-defined “spine” of his team, is not only not scoring goals with his club, he’s now not even making the bench.

The concern over Jozy Altidore continues to mount. For the second consecutive week Altidore was left off Sunderland’s game day roster by manager Gus Poyet. A week ago Altidore suffered the indignity of being assigned to Sunderland’s U-21 squad. His scoring drought continued through that match as well.

Officially, the Barclays Premier League website lists Altidore among Sunderland’s  “Injured Players.” Without details provided or any trace of an explanation forthcoming, skepticism reigns.

Poyet attempted to downplay the U-21 assignment earlier this week. “He’s a professional, and I’m sure it was difficult for him – the Under-21 game was at the Stadium of Light, and we were playing on the same night,” said Poyet. “But it wasn’t a punishment – there was a reason behind it. There were a few players who needed a game – Ondrej Celustka and company. It was all nicely prepared, and it wasn’t for any other reason. It’s the sort of decision you have to make in this job.”

Spin it however you like, but for a player of Altidore’s stature, it was a humiliating demotion. He’s the starting striker for his national team, he led the Eredivisie in scoring a year ago, and is currently among the highest paid players at his club, having arrived on a $13M transfer fee last summer.

Altidore was expected to be a major part of Sunderland’s attack this season. Instead, he’s only scored one Premier League goal and has been in and out of the lineup all season.

What does this mean for Klinsmann and the USMNT? Klinsmann has long emphasized the importance of his players getting consistent minutes with their clubs, and of course, playing well during those minutes. Altidore is doing neither currently, and its become a fair question whether he’ll play again for Sunderland this season at all. Perhaps a post-World Cup change of scenery is in Altidore’s future, but that’s not solving any immediate USMNT problems for either him or Klinsmann. For all practical purposes, it’s too late to secure a loan anywhere to get more pre-World Cup playing time.

Meanwhile, Aron Johannsson continues to pile on the goals in the Netherlands. He’s coincidentally doing so with the same club (AZ Alkmaar) that Altidore scored 31 goals with a year ago when the two players were teammates. Johannsson’s experience at the international level is minimal, but at what point does current form trump experience?

Regardless of where you choose to assign blame for Altidore’s struggles at Sunderland, the end result is that he’s a striker lacking confidence at the present time. If he doesn’t have opportunity to change that before the end of the Premier League season, which version of Altidore is going to arrive at USMNT camp in May?

The optimist will believe that he can flip a switch and continue the goal-scoring success he had during World Cup Qualifying in 2013. It may seem like just yesterday he was scoring a hat trick against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Sarajevo. That was actually eight months ago, before he ever appeared in match wearing a Sunderland kit.

Altidore remains a critical player for the USMNT’s chances in Brazil. It’s clear that Klinsmann puts a lot of trust in him, and it’s difficult to envision anyone but Altidore positioned atop the starting lineup. Johannsson has the hot hand in club play, but lack of experience aside, he doesn’t possess the same skill set as Altidore nor does he present the same matchup difficulties to opposing defenses.

So sink or swim, Altidore is Klinsmann’s guy. Jurgen and USMNT supporters alike will hope that Altidore has the maturity and composure to put his recent club failures behind him, and be the player who scored 8 goals in 14 games for the United States a year ago. The fate of the USMNT this summer depends on it.

USMNT Weekend Roundup: At Home & Abroad

by Roderick MacNeil

Nick Rimando watches yet another huge save steered wide of goal.

Let’s take a quick look at the most notable performances (or lack thereof) by USMNT players, both present and future, from the past weekend:

Major League Soccer

Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake) – Rimando was spectacular in RSL’s 1-0 season-opening win over the LA Galaxy. He made 9 saves, including a 93rd minute penalty kick stop off the foot of Robbie Keane. Rimando was named to the MLS Team of the Week, in addition to Week 1 Player of the Week honors. Here’s his top saves from this weekend, including the game-saving exclamation point:

Michael Parkhurst (Columbus Crew) – In Parkhurst’s MLS return he was instrumental in the Crew’s 3-0 win over D.C. United. He helped keep Eddie Johnson in check as Columbus held DC to one shot on goal.

Maurice Edu (Philadelphia Union) – Edu was named to MLS Team of the Week in central midfield in his Union debut. His flick-on header led to an assist on Jack McInerney’s goal as Philly earned a surprise point (and nearly three) in a 1-1 draw at Portland. Edu hopes to earn a USMNT call-up for the April 2 match vs. Mexico.

DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders) – The second year phenom was impressive in earning Man of the Match honors in Seattle’s 1-0 win over Sporting Kansas City. Yedlin completed two successful long through balls, equaling the number he had in all of 2013. He remains a long shot candidate for the USMNT World Cup roster.

Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders) – Dempsey looked sharp and played with a chip on his now-healthy shoulder in his first match back from Europe. The USMNT captain figured prominently and assisted on the winning goal. His smoothly fielded pass from Ozzie Alonso and distribution back wide to Sean Okoli set up the initial crossing opportunity. Dempsey then headed a rebound off the crossbar and scissor-kicked his own rebound ahead to Chad Barrett, who stabbed home a dramatic winner for the Sounders. It marked the fifth Seattle  stoppage time victory over Kansas City since 2010.

Will Bruin (Houston Dynamo) – Bruin earned his first two national team caps in 2013, and got off to a big start in his effort to stay on Jurgen Klinsmann’s radar for the next cycle. Bruin notched two goals in the game’s first 13 minutes to jump start the Dynamo to a 4-0 rout over the New England Revolution.

Liga MX

Jose Torres (Tigres UANL) – “Gringo” Torres scored his first goal since joining Tigres of Liga MX. Torres’ 82nd minute tally capped a 3-0 victory over Cruz Azul. He hopes to make a late run to earn a spot on the World Cup roster, and may see an opening given the recent shortcomings of Sacha Kljestan and Brek Shea. Here’s a video clip of the goal (jump to 1:02 of the video):

Joe Corona (Tijuana) – Corona made an impressive return to Tijuana’s starting lineup, having not been featured since early January.  It’s noteworthy that he also took all the Xolos’ set pieces. Corona is seeking to make the most of his playing time, hoping to earn a USMNT call-up next month and find his way onto the World Cup roster.

Alejandro Guido (Tijuana) – The 19-year-old United States U-20 player made his Liga MX debut for Tijuana, entering in the 84th minute of a 2-0 win over CD Guadalajara. Guido has excelled for the Xolos’ U-20 team with three goals in six starts.

Europe

Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar) – Johannsson scored again. And again. Same old, same old. The USMNT striker now has 24 goals in all competitions and shows no signs of slowing down. He’ll be a dangerous weapon at the World Cup this summer.

Jozy Altidore (Sunderland) – Notable due to his absence, yet again. Altidore was not in the 18-man game day roster for Sunderland’s FA Cup quarterfinal loss to Hull City. Manager Gus Poyet later explained that Altidore had picked up an unspecified “knock” in training.

Brek Shea (Barnsley/Stoke City) – Shea’s loan spell at Barnsley came to a grinding halt Monday when he was sent back to parent club Stoke City. This came on the heels of a regrettable incident in which Shea made an obscene gesture ( involving a certain centrally located digit) toward Barnsley supporters. Couple with his underwhelming performances, Barnsley had seen enough. He has not been formally recalled by Stoke, so Barnsley will continue to pay Shea’s salary.

Terrence Boyd Scores for Rapid Wien; Americans in Europe Weekend Roundup

Terrence Boyd continues to show well and make his World Cup case. (Photo: GEPA)

Forward Terrence Boyd continued his strong season for Rapid Wien (Vienna) of the Austrian Bundesliga on Sunday. Boyd scored in first half stoppage time against Red Bull Salzburg to draw Rapid within a 2:1 margin at halftime. However, a late flurry of Salzburg goals put the game away for the runaway league leaders as Rapid fell 6:3. It was the 14th goal of the season for Boyd across all competitions. He’ll look to help solidify a World Cup roster spot with USMNT this week vs. Ukraine.

Aron Johannsson didn’t score on Sunday, but he did have a rather pretty assist to add to his resume. Johannsson set up teammate Steven Berghuis’s 48th minute goal on the way to AZ Alkmaar’s 4:0 win over RKC Waalwijk. Johannsson dribbled at the top of the 18-yard box, drawing the attention of several defenders before laying off to a charging Berghuis, who finished with a low blast across goal. Here’s a look at the goal sequence:

It was disappointing news for Jozy Altidore on Sunday. The USMNT starting striker was left off the game day squad for Sunderland’s massive League Cup Final contest against Manchester City. There was no word on any injury problem, so we’re left to conclude it was simply the manager’s decision. The absence continues a difficult campaign for Altidore, who has just two Premier League goals on the season.

Elsewhere in the Premier League this weekend:

Clint Dempsey was a surprise inclusion in Fulham’s starting lineup vs. Chelsea. Dempsey had been left out of the 18-man roster for each of Fulham’s previous three matches. Dempsey has several good chances on goal, but wasn’t able to find the scoring column, leaving him without a single goal in nearly 600 minutes with Fulham. His two-month loan term expired with the end of the match. He’ll return to the Seattle Sounders for the start of the MLS season after a midweek stint with the USMNT in Germany and Cyprus.

Geoff Cameron put in another solid performance for Stoke City, doing his part to deal a crushing 1:0 loss to title hopefuls Arsenal. Cameron nearly scored himself in the first half. A bouncing ball in the box found its way to Cameron’s feet, but the USMNT defender/midfielder couldn’t put the shot on frame. He projects to start at right back on Wednesday vs. Ukraine.

Tim Howard bounced back from a difficult 93rd minute own-goal last weekend to post a clean sheet in Everton’s 1:0 victory over West Ham. Howard wasn’t tested often, only requiring one save along the way. The win keeps Everton in 7th position in the league table and still very much in contention to earn a spot in the 2014-15 Europa League.

Brad Guzan‘s Aston Villa notched an important 4:1 over Norwich City. Villa surrendered an early 3rd minute goal off a corner kick, but fought back with a four-goal barrage to take a 4:1 lead into halftime. USMNT backup goalkeeper Guzan made three saves along the way for the winning side, which climbed into 11th place, a seemingly safe 7 points above the relegation zone.

Tim Howard’s Own-Goal Headlines Disappointing Premier League Day for USMNT

Everton was mere seconds away from earning an important draw at Chelsea. Tim Howard was seconds away from being declared Man of the Match. One poorly handled free kick later, everything changed, and Chelsea had a 1:0 victory. For the first 93+ minutes, Howard was spectacular. Then a Frank Lampard chip into the box seemed to cross up Howard as a sliding John Terry attempted to put a foot on it. In live action, it appeared that Terry had tapped it in behind Howard, but replays clearly showed that Terry never touched the ball and that Howard has essentially swatted and deflected it into his own net. Perhaps the own-goal ruling was harsh; Howard had an active player directly in front of him to contend with. But he probably should have come out more aggressively off his line to field the ball cleanly in the air. A tough way to end an otherwise outstanding day in net for the USMNT keeper.

Elsewhere across England, Jozy Altidore’s Sunderland club was shredded by a superior Arsenal side 4:1. Altidore played a relatively anonymous 45 minutes before being subbed at halftime. Some may ask whether manager Gus Poyet was saving fresher legs for the League Cup final against Manchester City, but that’s eight days away and really shouldn’t be a factor.

Geoff Cameron once again went 90 minutes for Stoke City. Cameron put in a mostly average performance as the Potters lost at Manchester City by a 1:0 margin. He wasn’t especially involved in the attack and only completed 50% of his passes on the day. But then again, Stoke didn’t appear particularly interested in attacking at all, with only 26% possession for the match.

And finally, it was more of the same (or perhaps, less of the same) for Clint Dempsey at Fulham. Dempsey was once again not named to the 18-man game day roster, instead watched his club surrender a crushing late goal to draw at West Brom 1:1. It was the third consecutive match  spent in the stands for Dempsey, who has only seen 25 minutes of Premier League action for the entire month of February. His disappointing loan term expires March 1 after Fulham hosts Chelsea; and there’s no reason to believe he’ll see the field again. Dempsey is expected to join the USMNT in Frankfurt, Germany ahead of the March 5 match at Ukraine, before finally rejoining the Seattle Sounders. Seattle kicks off their MLS season on March 8 vs. Sporting Kansas City.

Cameron Goes 90 Again for Stoke City; Winds Wipe Two EPL Games Away

Gale-force winds caused postponement of Manchester City-Sunderland and Everton-Crystal Palace matches. (Reuters)

In what was expected to be an eventful day for USMNT players in the Premier League, Geoff Cameron was the only man left standing, as extreme weather and a lineup decision kept three others off the pitch.

Cameron played a full ninety minutes at right back for Stoke City in a 1:1 home draw versus Swansea City. He put in another standout performance in defense and continued to quietly strengthen his case for a spot in Jurgen Klinsmann’s starting lineup.

Elsewhere, fierce gale-force winds caused the postponement of two matches, keeping Sunderland’s Jozy Altidore and Everton’s Tim Howard inactive on the day. Meanwhile, Fulham’s game day roster did not include Clint Dempsey for the second consecutive game.

It’s been a disappointing return to Craven Cottage for Dempsey, to say the least. Fulham only has one match remaining before Dempsey’s loan term expires. At this point, perhaps Clint and the Seattle Sounders are best served by ending the loan early so he can rejoin his club for preseason training. Fulham next plays at West Brom on February 22.