Jozy Altidore on why he chose to sign for the Revolution, and what he sees for his role in 2022
For Jozy Altidore, the decision to sign with the Revolution was about more than just soccer. Though he’s never lived in Boston, the veteran forward—who recently signed a three-year deal with New England—has several local ties.
“It was a tough process because the athlete, the competitor in me [was] thinking about going abroad and doing those types of things, but I’m a father now,” Altidore explained in his introductory press conference on Tuesday. “I am a married man. I have to figure out what’s best for my family. My wife has a lot of Boston ties, a lot of history on her side of the family. I have a brother that lives in Boston. So we just felt from a family standpoint it was a great place to come. It was the right time and we wanted to be around with our loved ones.
Altidore, 32, is married to professional tennis player Sloane Stephens.
“With all the craziness going on you can’t take that for granted,” Altidore added of spending time with family. “I’m happy it all got done and I was able to come here and be part of a really great group.”
The former U.S. international is also inevitably hoping that a change of scenery will help restart his career. After two seasons in which he battled injuries, Altidore was released by former club Toronto FC.
It ended what was largely a successful run in Toronto, in which Altidore scored 62 goals over seven seasons, helping the club win MLS Cup in 2017.
In New England, Altidore is hoping to provide some additional goal-scoring on top of what the Revolution—a team that led MLS in goals a season ago—already have.
“At this point in my career, it was something I viewed as really, really exciting and something I entertained, because that’s where I am,” he said. “You can’t beat father time, so I’m excited to come in and be that part that he’s looking for within the group and help this team try to win a trophy.”
His arrival also provides an opportunity to resume working with Bruce Arena, the Revolution head coach, who once gave a then-16-year-old Altidore his MLS debut with the New York Red Bulls in 2006.
“Bruce, he’s the same,” Altidore explained. “Funny enough, he hasn’t changed at all. I can’t believe it. He’s the same exact way he was about 15 years ago when I worked with him at the club level and in a lot of ways I think that’s really good. In this industry, people don’t let success get to them. They stay grounded, they stay the same people, and they stick to the things that got them to where they are. I see a lot of that in Bruce, but he still wants to win.”
The Revolution are currently scheduled to face Cavaly AS in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16 on Friday at Gillette Stadium at 5:30 p.m. New England, winners of the Supporters’ Shield in 2021 for having the best regular season record in MLS, begin league play on Feb. 26 (7:30 p.m) in Portland against the defending Western Conference champion Timbers.