revolution

Jozy Altidore sees reunion with Revolution’s Bruce Arena as the perfect move for him

Jozy Altidore scored 79 goals in seven seasons with Toronto. Chris Young/Associated Press

Jozy Altidore has been thinking that a reunion with Revolution sporting director/head coach Bruce Arena would be a good career move. And he is looking forward to making other Boston connections after joining the Revolution as a free agent Monday.

“Yeah, it was a tough process,” Altidore said during a Zoom call Tuesday. “Because the athlete, the competitor in me, you’re thinking about going abroad and doing those things. But I’m a father now, I’m a married man. I have to figure out what’s best for my family.

“My wife, she has a lot of ties in Boston, a lot of history on her side of the family, and I have a brother that lives in Boston. So we just felt from the family standpoint it was a great place to come. It was the right time. We wanted to be around our loved ones with all the craziness going on.”

Altidore’s wife, tennis star Sloane Stephens, is the daughter of former Patriots running back John Stephens and former Boston University swimmer Sybil Smith. Plus, Altidore happened to make his professional debut as a 16-year-old at Gillette Stadium, playing for Arena with the New York Red Bulls in 2006.

“Bruce, he’s the same,” Altidore said. “Funny enough, he hasn’t changed at all. 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.”

Jozy Altidore sounds excited about the prospect of playing for Bruce Arena again. Vasha Hunt/Associated Press

Altidore, 32, is expected to reinforce the Revolution attack, likely as a reserve behind Gustavo Bou and Adam Buksa. He slumped last season, totaling four goals in 16 regular-season games for Toronto.

“Bruce talked to me about the team that he had, about the strike force that he had and just wanting to add to it,” Altidore said. “He said, ‘Listen, we have a great team but we want to add to it. We want to add guys that can help take some load off these guys and come in and fill some minutes and score goals, obviously, most importantly.’ I was really excited about that.

“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. 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.”

Altidore raised questions about his departure from Toronto, which will pay part of his salary for two years. He totaled 79 goals in seven years there and was named Finals MVP as Toronto won the 2017 MLS Cup.

“There were just some things that happened behind the scenes that you just can’t unsee,” Altidore said. “You can’t, I don’t want to say forgive, but when certain ways, how you live, how you see life, how you see going to work, morals. When those things aren’t the same anymore within a working environment, I think it’s time to call it a day.

“There will never be bad blood for me, but there’s definitely a lot of things that have happened there that just aren’t talked about or brought to the surface. And I think that’s why it weighed on some guys that have been there for a long time. And saying that, it’s a brilliant club that needs to get back on track and I think will get back on track.”

Toronto FC declined to comment on Altidore’s remarks.

Altidore pointed to Arena’s track record coaching players such as David Beckham and Robbie Keane, who helped win three MLS Cup titles with the Los Angeles Galaxy.

This will be the second time Bruce Arena will get a chance to coach Jozy Altidore. John Tlumacki

“I think Bruce just has a way of working,” Altidore said. “I think, you look at players he’s worked with — Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Robbie Keane — you know, top, top players, and those guys had great times under Bruce.

“I think he’s a guy that just knows how to how to coach big teams. He knows how to coach a number of guys and he’s just very smart in the way he works.

“So, when you know you have players like that and players around MLS that have had a lot of success, you want to be in a place that’s professional, somebody that’s pushing you every day to win, and that’s what makes working with him great.

“He’s a winner, and all of the guys will tell you that you want to be around that kind of infectious attitude.”

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