Jozy Altidore‘s hamstring has seemingly failed to cooperate at the worst possible times.
The Toronto FC and USMNT striker has gone down yet again with an injury to his troublesome hamstring and will remain out for 2-3 weeks according to a report by the Associated Press. He was injured in the late stages of a wild 4-3 comeback win over Minnesota United over the weekend.
The injury is troublesome, because it comes less than two months before the United States is set to compete in the 2019 Gold Cup. While he should return in time to be an option for the United States according to the announced timetable, it brings back bad memories for national team fans who recall Altidore pulling up lame in the match against Ghana to open the 2014 World Cup, unable to play the rest of the tournament, an injury which left the United States massively undermanned the rest of the way.
Altidore has had plenty of ill-timed trouble with his hamstring over the years, most notably in 2016 which forced him out of the Copa America, a tournament which saw the United States host and finish fourth, unable to score against either Argentina or Colombia. He also had foot surgery last year around this time, forcing him out for over three months despite the initial 4-6 week timeframe announced.
The injury troubles are clearly frustrating for Altidore, given his outburst after the win over Minnesota last time out, where he criticized the club for parting ways with Italian trainer Giuseppe Gueli – who was let go when Sebastian Giovinco was sold – and also hit out at club president Bill Manning for his lack of availability and failure to communicate with the squad. He apologized for the outburst, saying the two met and cleared the air.
“I let my emotions get the best of me when speaking to the media after our wild comeback win against Minnesota,” Altidore wrote on Twitter the following day. “Bill and I connected this morning and I can confidently say we’re on the same page. I know Bill and Toronto FC are committed to pulling out all the stops and dedicated to putting the team in prime position to have a successful season. We move forward together.” Manning also met with the media to downplay the incident, saying that he was planning on bringing back Gueli in a part-time role.
Altidore has not played for the national team since the fateful night in Trinidad & Tobago which saw the United States fail to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. During that time, USMNT interim boss Dave Sarachan and new full-time head coach Gregg Berhalter has used the friendlies to explore the talent pool and find options outside of the regular starters. Still, Altidore is widely believed to top the USMNT striker depth chart, and any injury that leaves his status in doubt would give Berhalter a selection headache in his first competitive event in charge.
