At 35, Jozy Altidore seems like he might nonetheless be a handful on the soccer pitch. However the former U.S. and Toronto FC star striker is making his mark within the boardroom as of late.
Altidore is a part-owner of the NFL’s Buffalo Payments with investments in golf’s TGL and Bay FC of the Nationwide Ladies’s Soccer League amongst his portfolio. He’s concerned within the World Meals Program, serving to ship greater than 100,000 college meals final 12 months in Haiti, the land of his mother and father.
“It has been a whirlwind,” he stated of his entrepreneurial efforts. “However in the very best methods potential. I am studying a lot. I’ve obtained a newfound power and I am actually excited.”
It has taken time making ready for and adjusting to his new day job.
“It was an attention-grabbing course of as a result of all of us, I believe, as gamers get to the purpose of you begin to have to consider what’s subsequent,” he stated in an interview. “I do not assume I actually did as thoughtfully as one ought to. Once I obtained right here (in Toronto), I put a lot into being part of the group that turns the franchise round and put us on the map.
“You do not take into consideration ‘Hey I am 25, 26 and the subsequent section is correct there.'”
Altidore credit former Toronto teammate Sebastian Giovinco, now a particular adviser and ambassador on the membership, for serving to him get began with post-playing profession plans.
“Seba was like ‘Hey, we have to start out fascinated about this,'” he recalled.
Whereas taking part in in Toronto, Altidore earned a enterprise diploma through Main League Soccer’s partnership with Southern New Hampshire College (Canadian Tesho Akindele was the primary participant to graduate from SNHU via the partnership.)
The burly ahead ranks second in goal-scoring for Toronto with 79 targets in all competitions from 2015 to 2021. Solely Giovinco, with 83, has extra in TFC colors.
Altidore ranks fifth in membership appearances with 173.
Altidore additionally performed within the U.S. (Purple Bulls, New England), Spain (Villarreal, Xerez CD), England (Hull Metropolis, Sunderland), Turkey (Bursaspor), the Netherlands (AZ Alkmaar) and Mexico (Puebla).
Altidore, who stays within the public eye with 243,000 followers on Instagram and a few 797,000 on X, was an enormous a part of Toronto’s glory years.
Ignoring a bum ankle, he scored the decisive objective towards Columbus in Recreation 2 of the 2017 Japanese Convention last. He then scored in a 2-0 victory over Seattle to hoist the trophy at BMO Area, incomes MVP honours within the championship recreation.
Altidore additional turned a part of TFC lore with a pithy however epic speech after the group’s victory parade.
“I simply need to allow you to guys know that I’ve been partying since Saturday. … And child, I’m TFC ‘til I die,” stated Altidore, clearly feeling no ache two days after the championship recreation.
Altidore dropped the microphone after which began dancing along with his teammates.
On the worldwide entrance, Altidore was a member of U.S. World Cup groups in 2010 and ’14. He was the second-youngest U.S. nationwide group participant to earn 100 caps and the third to attain greater than 40 targets (41).
Altidore, who wrapped up his taking part in profession in 2022 with Mexico’s Puebla after a stint with the New England Revolution, completed with 42 targets and 14 assists in 115 worldwide appearances.
The World Cup has at all times held a particular place for Altidore. He obtained into soccer in the course of the ’94 World Cup within the U.S. along with his father taping each recreation.
Father and son plan to absorb the 2026 World Cup along with the expanded 48-team match happening within the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
“Now it comes full circle the place we are able to now get pleasure from this World Cup collectively. It is form of surreal … It offers me goosebumps,” he stated.
Whereas Altidore loved his time in Toronto, issues soured in the course of the 2021 season when he was some eight weeks on the outs with the membership after a confrontation with then-coach Chris Armas.
On the time, Altidore declined to element the explanations behind the disagreement. However years later, he confirms that his dissatisfaction was prompted by the membership’s reluctance to present its younger expertise an opportunity to shine.
“I want I’d have dealt with it in another way, however we had so many younger gamers … (that) I felt might have on the time have extra of a possibility,” he stated.
Altidore spent the time coaching on his personal, away from the primary group. However he returned to the fray after Armas was fired following a 1-8-2 begin to the season.
He scored in his first recreation again, a 1-1 tie with Orlando that marked TFC’s first recreation at BMO Area since Sept. 1, 2020, because of the pandemic and the primary with followers within the stands since March 7, 2020. Altidore, pounding the crest on his jersey, and his teammates headed to the southeast nook of the pitch en masse to have fun.
Altidore, who now makes his residence in South Florida, says he and Armas have since talked it out.
Toronto and TFC stay near Altidore’s coronary heart.
“On an expert stage it will be cool to get entangled in Toronto FC someway, to be sincere,” he stated. “You possibly can say it is a membership of my life, in a approach, when it comes to the period of time I spent right here.
“I did not anticipate it to influence me the best way it did influence my household … I’ve so many mates right here. And to see the place soccer’s rising on this nation, there is a huge alternative. So why would not one need to be part of that? Particularly to have the chance to present again to a spot that is given a lot to you.”
