Jozy Altidore could be back in action any day now.
Altidore, who injured his hamstring three weeks ago, is nearly recovered, according to Toronto FC coach Greg Vanney.
"We are optimistic Altidore will be available for the weekend," he told reporters on Friday. TFC are slated to visit Sporting Kansas City on Sunday (7 pm ET; FS1, TSN2).
Vanney emphasized that Altidore is not being rushed back to action and if the US international makes his season debut, it will be because he is ready.
"Last week was one of those (situations) where we thought if we really, really pushed him he probably could’ve been available," Vanney told reporters, according to SportsNet. "We chose not to push him. If we do the same this week, it’ll be just because he wasn’t able to get somewhere (physically) that we thought was important before this weekend. Aside from that, he’s looked good; he’s been sharp in training."
Altidore has missed TFC’s opening two weeks of action due to the injury, which has been latest in a recurring bout of hamstring problems. Most notably, 26-year-old Altidore pulled his hamstring during the opening match of the 2014 World Cup and missed the rest of the tournament.
The latest injury has been a setback after Altidore worked to lose pounds of muscle in an attempt to prevent the repeated muscle strains.
Altidore said he is eager to get back to work, telling reporters, "I'm excited to get the season going."
The striker is also expected to be fully recovered in time for the US national team’s World Cup qualifiers on March 25 and 29 against Guatemala with reports surfacing that Altidore will be on the to-be-announced roster for those games.
The lingering question is how match-fit Altidore can be for TFC if he returns to action this weekend and next week when the US faces their first leg of World Cup qualifying against Guatemala.
