Jozy Altidore Snubbed as Coach Jurgen Klinsmann Names USMNT Roster
Jozy Altidore's sublime form of the past two months wasn't enough to convince Jurgen Klinsmann.
The expectations surrounding the young American have been sky high ever since he made his United States Men's National Team debut in 2007 as a mere 18-year-old, but because of those impossible expectations, he's mostly been seen as a disappointment.
That disappointment has only increased over the past year as Altidore has seen less and less time on the pitch while wearing the US shirt.
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On Monday, his downfall finally hit rock bottom.
Despite scoring eight goals in seven appearances for Dutch club AZ Alkmaar to start the 2012-13 season, Altidore was snubbed by Klinsmann, who made some rather interesting choices for the squad to take on Antigua & Barbuda and Guatemala to finish off the semifinal round of World Cup qualifying.
Instead of the on-fire Altidore, Klinsmann went with forwards Eddie Johnson, who has plenty of USMNT experience and has been lights-out for the Seattle Sounders (14 goals in 26 appearances), and Alan Gordon, who has been just as productive with San Jose (13 goals in 23 appearances) but has no international experience.
One thing is for sure. If Altidore continues to dominate the Eredivisie at his current pace, Klinsmann won't be able to continue to hold him off this US squad, which has struggled to find consistent play up top.
The Americans take on Antigua & Barbuda on Friday, October 12, before returning home to host Guatemala on Tuesday, October 16.ย
United States Roster (courtesy of ussoccer.com)
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Salt Lake City)
Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Racing Santander), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Maurice Edu (Stoke City), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Michael Parkhurst (Nordsjaelland)
Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Roma), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Brek Shea (FC Dallas), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)ย
Forwards: Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Herculez Gomez (Santos), Alan Gordon (San Jose Earthquakes), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders)
