Jozy Altidore and 5 Other Americans Who Need a January Transfer

With the January transfer window rapidly approaching and the silly season about to kick into high gear, many Americans, led by U.S. striker Jozy Altidore, will likely be looking for new clubs.

Finding the right club is never easy, as players must balance playing time considerations along with the competition level of any potential destination. Getting the move right can mean a fast track to success and call-ups to the United States men's national team. Getting the move wrong can result in misery and plenty of time riding the bench.

But for several Americans, a January move seems in their best interest. Here are six players who seem ready for a switch.

Jozy Altidore

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It's hard to imagine things going much worse for Jozy Altidore this season at Sunderland. He's only earned two league starts all season—neither of which were particularly impressive—and suffered through a horror miss this past weekend in the Black Cats' draw with West Ham United.

It seems pretty obvious that the English Premier League is not Jozy's cup of tea, as he's only tallied two goals in 69 appearances in his three years in the league.

He proved he can be a top European striker when he scored 31 goals in all competitions two seasons ago for AZ Alkmaar, but he needs a move this winter to regain his form and confidence.

Mix Diskerud

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Mix Diskerud doesn't need a winter move, but it does seem like the right time. He is currently out of contract with Rosenborg and has sold his house in Trondheim.

The downside of a move, of course, is that he'd be leaving a club where he has established himself as a regular starter on a successful team. And, as many Americans have seen in the past few years, the grass isn't always greener somewhere else.

However, Diskerud looks to be the future of the United States men's national team midfield, and at 24 years of age, he'll need to make a move to a bigger and better league if he wants to continue his growth.

Bobby Wood

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Bobby Wood's appearances thus far with the USMNT have been far from impressive, with the 22-year-old striker missing a number of quality chances on goal. But U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann obviously sees something in the player as he has been called into the Americans' last three camps.

Wood has played his entire career thus far with Bundesliga 2 outfit 1860 Munich, but he has been dropped from their first team of late and hasn't made an appearance for the team in nearly two months. Worse yet, he hasn't scored a goal for their senior side since May 2013.

Julian Green

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It's safe to say that things haven't gone according to plan for Julian Green and his loan move to Hamburg SV this season.

Green has had to endure a coaching change, a rib injury and a team struggling to stay above the relegation zone.

So far this season, Green has only logged 111 minutes in Hamburg's 15 league matches and hasn't made an appearance for the team in over a month.

It's safe to say that in a relegation battle, his coach is unlikely to look to the 19-year-old to turn things around.

If he's simply going to be in Hamburg for the rest of the season to train, he'd be better off returning to Bayern Munich and doing so under the guidance of Pep Guardiola.

Benji Joya

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It's hard to see where Benji Joya might see more success at this point in his career, as the 21-year-old has struggled for minutes in both Liga MX and Major League Soccer.

However, he has shown plenty of potential playing for the U.S.' youth international teams and needs minutes at the club level. He only made 12 appearances for the Chicago Fire this past season and didn't see the field in August, September or October.

So far, another move abroad seems the most likely bet with Dan Karell of Soccer By Ives reporting last month that Joya may be headed to Argentina.

Juan Agudelo

Orlin Wagner/Associated Press

Juan Agudelo has scored many prolific goals in his young career and, at one time, looked to be headed for stardom with the United States men's national team.

However, he hasn't played a competitive match since May and is currently out of contract. He couldn't get a work permit after signing with Stoke City and, this fall, was passed over by Wolves after a two-week trial.

Whether it's by coming back to MLS or looking elsewhere in Europe, Mexico or South America, he needs to get back on the field soon if he wants to have any chance of resurrecting his professional career.

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