Altidore makes it six goals in eight games
- by Soccer America , Sep 15, 2011
[AMERICANS ABROAD] Jozy Altidore (AZ), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht) and Oguchi Onyewu (Sporting Lisbon) were winners on Day 1 of the group stage of the Europa League. Altidore scored his sixth goal in eight games with a long-range blast
for AZ in its 4-1 win over Malmo, while Kljestan assisted on Anderlecht's final goal in its win by the same score over AEK Athens. For the six Americans in action on Thursday ...
Europa League
Jozy Altidore (90 minutes, 1 goal), AZ, 4-1 vs. Malmo
Steve Cherundolo (90 minutes), Hannover, 0-0 vs. Standard Liege
Clint Dempsey (90 minutes), Fulham, 1-1 vs. FC Twente
Sacha Kljestan (90 minutes, 1 assist), Anderlecht, 4-1
vs. AEK Athens
Oguchi Onyewu (90 minutes), Sporting Lisbon, 2-0, at FC Zurich
Jonathan Spector (90 minutes),
Birmingham, 1-3 vs. Braga
Altidore goal:
I like the confidence he's showing in Holland...hopefully he'll start to do some of that internationally.
Heck, Michael Bradley was a star in Holland. Don't put too much stock in to Altidore's exploits.
Certainly, the success he's acheiving in the Netherlands doesn't need to be overblown. However, as a young (still 22 YO?), developing striker, the success he acheives and the resulting confidence he'll gain are important for his overall maturing as a player. I thought when he made the move to AZ Alkmaar that it was the perfect place for him to go. The Netherlands have been a spawning ground for talent for the top teams in Europe for years. There's no doubt that Dutch coaches have the tools and wearwithal to help players become better. Most importantly, Jozy is getting to get plenty of playing time against reasonable quality opponents. That should help him raise the level of his game. So far, so good. No matter what league is played in, one thing to consider is the quality of the strike. This particular shot probably would have been a goal in just about any league. It's not something we've seen much of from Jozy before. You can quibble about whether he'd have been able to turn get the shot off against better defenders. But just getting used to making the strike will help in the long run. Learning to hold the ball and turn against stronger defenders is something that can be learned. And, yes, Michael Bradley was a star at Herenveen. His time there enabled him to go the Bundesliga and become a regular starter in that league, too.