Jozy Altidore to Toronto FC: Latest Transfer Details, Reaction and More

Jozy Altidore's miserable time at Sunderland has drawn to a close.

The United States men's national team star has sealed a switch to Toronto FC in a deal that sees Jermain Defoe move in the opposite direction:

Much was expected of the 25-year-old when he arrived at the Stadium of Light.

He was fresh off scoring 39 goals in 67 league matches for AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands. Between an emphasis on attacking football and a lack of defensive quality, the Eredivisie sometimes creates inflated scoring totals for players.

Still, many felt Altidore's time with AZ helped rebuild his confidence. More importantly, Altidore became a more tactically astute player under the tutelage of Gertjan Verbeek. He said that Verbeek's demanding nature forced him to up his game on a weekly basis, per Ives Galarcep for Fox Soccer:

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The fact you always have to go in every week saying 'I have to do something spectacular to stay in the team' is just how it is in Europe, and I think that’s been great for me. It’s made me learn a lot about myself as a player. It has taught me that you really have no limits as a player, and it's good motivation to have knowing that your spot is always up for grabs.

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Altidore looked great during some of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers for the U.S., which helped silence many of the doubters who questioned whether he had earned his regular place with the national team.

After moving to Sunderland, though, the goals completely dried up for Altidore. Once Black Cats manager Gus Poyet dropped him for a match against Tottenham Hotspur last April, the writing was on the wall.

The Guardian's Louise Taylor wrote a harsh critique of Altidore on Oct. 17, 2014. Even his most ardent supporters could find little wrong with Taylor's analysis:

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Sometimes described as a poor man’s Emile Heskey, Altidore is full of contradictions. Big, physically imposing and blessed with a ferocious right-foot shot, he is frequently let down by an unreliable first touch, struggles with his back to goal, is not great either aerially or at holding the ball up and rarely dominates opponents.

Or at least that’s how he appears on the Premier League stage. As last season unravelled and Sunderland fans rather cruelly dubbed him 'Dozy Anti-score,' a mounting lack of confidence was manifested by a tendency for hesitation and snatching at shots.

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It quickly became clear that Altidore and Sunderland needed a mutual separation, and the only question was how quickly he could get out of England.

ESPN's Taylor Twellman reported on Jan. 7 that the MLS looked like a potential destination, with the New York Red Bulls, Portland Timbers and Toronto FC all throwing their names into the hat:

A move back to North America made the most sense. The Premier League is a clear step above the MLS in terms of quality, but it continues to improve with each season.

Altidore's place in the national team almost certainly won't be under threat, either. Both Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey occupied key roles on the team Jurgen Klinsmann sent to Brazil in 2014 despite making the move back to the MLS.

Fox Soccer's Kyle McCarthy added that the financial benefits for a return to the States would be greater for Altidore than if he chose to remain in Europe:

Playing in Major League Soccer won't be a new experience for Altidore. He made his debut with the Red Bulls at 16 years old and scored 15 goals in 37 league matches. Then came the move to Villarreal, but his career hasn't quite panned out as expected since.

It's important that he's able to stick with Toronto. Paul Carr of ESPN Stats & Info highlighted how Altidore's already made quite a few stops in his relatively short playing career:

TFC are taking a pretty big gamble with this transfer. Considering Altidore's profile and contract demands, the club is making a major investment both financially and on the pitch.

It's no guarantee that Altidore will put it all together in MLS. Should he fail, this move will go down as one of the costliest mistakes in club history.

Note: Stats are courtesy of Transfermarkt unless otherwise noted.