Jozy Altidore might be in the form of his life – now Jurgen Klinsmann just wants him to stay on the field.
In 13 MLS regular season appearances for Toronto FC since returning from the hamstring injury that kept him out of this summer’s Copa América Centenario, Altidore has recorded nine goals and two assists, with four of those goals and one of his helpers coming in the last five games alone.
The Designated Player made good on his return to the national team last month, too, scoring once in a 6-0 win at St. Vincent and the Grenadines before notching two goals in a 4-0 victory against Trinidad and Tobago.
The hot run has come after a rough start to the season for Altidore, who failed to find the back of the net in Toronto’s first 10 matches and then suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out of both the Copa América and nine MLS games.
Hamstring issues have plagued Altidore throughout his career, keeping him out of not only this summer’s Copa America, but also the Knockout Round of the 2015 Gold Cup, all but 23 minutes of the 2014 World Cup, and the 2011 Gold Cup final.
Now, with the 26-year-old firing on all cylinders for club and country, Klinsmann is hoping Altidore and Toronto have figured out the formula to keep the Florida native on the field.
“With Jozy, it is our hope that he’s just becoming consistent and will be able to avoid these types of injuries,” Klinsmann told reporters at USMNT camp in Miami on Tuesday. “It’s a very specific medical field, so in Toronto they are very positive that they’ve found all the causes of all these problems. The national team have gone to significant lengths to make sure Altidore maintains his routine while on international duty, even bringing an athletic trainer to camp for the World Cup qualifiers against St. Vincent and Trinidad last month so that Altidore could continue the exact same treatment program he’s under with TFC.
“Last camp, with the two World Cup qualifiers, we actually had a physio coming in from Toronto being with us and our staff just to kind of make sure we’re doing the same type of work off the field for Jozy that they do now there,” Klinsmann said.
Altidore, who started both of the USMNT’s matches last month, will likely see plenty of time alongside Bobby Wood in friendlies at Cuba on Friday (4 pm ET; ESPN2, UniMás) and against New Zealand at RFK Stadium next Tuesday (8 pm ET; ESPN, UniMás). How the two pair together up top, where the US won’t have stalwart Clint Dempsey due to his heart issues, will play a big role not only in the upcoming exhibitions, but in the Hexagonal matches against Mexico and at Costa Rica next month.
“The biggest part there is that [Jozy] trusts himself, that he trusts his own body, his own situation; because over the years when you have those issues they’re kind of implemented in the back of your mind,” Klinsmann said. “Hopefully he can have the ability to delete all these thoughts and then become just a very consistent performer for his club team, but also does well for the national team.”
