By Canadian Press

Star striker Jozy Altidore bids farewell to Toronto FC in social media post

Feb 11, 2022 | 4:51 PM

TORONTO — After seven seasons, star striker Jozy Altidore has bid farewell to Toronto via a social media post.

While Toronto FC has not said much about Altidore’s absence from training camp, his departure was expected. Coach Bob Bradley, who doubles as the MLS team’s sporting director, said earlier this week an announcement on the 32-year-old forward’s future was coming “shortly.”

In typical Altidore fashion, he made the announcement himself.

A source, not authorized to speak publicly on the matter because talks have been ongoing behind the scenes, said TFC and Altidore’s representatives have been in prolonged discussions about a contract buyout. The New England Revolution reportedly is waiting in the wings to sign Altidore, one of TFC’s three designated players.

Friday’s social media post to Altidore’s 197,000 followers, accompanied by a photo of the player waving to the crowd, suggests those talks have finally concluded.

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“Thank you Toronto and all the fans for a wonderful seven years,” he wrote. “To all the staff and my teammates throughout this time, THANK YOU!! Toronto will always be home. Thank you MLSE and Larry and Judy Tanenbaum for all of your support over the years. See you soon and all the very best in the future.”

Larry Tanenbaum is chairman of the board of directors of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns the team. Judy is his wife.

TFC is currently in Texas, gearing up for its Feb. 26 season opener at FC Dallas.

Brazilian fullback Auro Jr. also took to Instagram to say goodbye to Toronto and offer thanks “for the amazing four years I had here.”

Auro is reportedly headed to Brazil’s Santos FC on loan.

With Altidore and Auro moving on, Toronto has now seen 17 players depart from the first-team roster than slumped to a 6-18-10 record last season when the team finished 26th in the league.

Altidore, who married tennis star Sloane Stephens on Jan. 1 in Miami, ranks second in goal-scoring for Toronto with 79 goals in all competitions. Only former strike partner Sebastian Giovinco, with 83, has scored more in TFC colours.

But Altidore managed just six goals over the last two seasons, in limited action due to injuries and a disagreement with the club. Those goals came at a price with Altidore’s salary of US$3.6 million seventh on the MLS pay scale last season.

MLS teams are allowed one contract buyout in the off-season which does not count against the salary cap. Altidore’s current deal has two years remaining.

At his best, Altidore was a powerful forward able to score goals and create space and opportunities for others by his imposing presence at the tip of the Toronto attack.

Altidore, when healthy, and TFC enjoyed a profitable relationship. The big man, who earned some US$33 million in salary over his seven seasons in Toronto, scored some big goals for the club.

Off the field, he won the hearts of TFC supporters in an epic speech after the team’s 2017 MLS Cup parade.

“I just want to let you guys know that I’ve been partying since Saturday. … And baby, I’m TFC ‘til I die,” the burly forward, clearly feeling no pain two days later, said after a short but passionate homage to fans at the Nathan Phillips Square celebration.

Altidore dropped the microphone and then started dancing with his teammates.

In February 2019, a more restrained Altidore repeated his affection for the city and club when he signed a contract extension.

“This is my home, this is where I want to be and this is where I want to keep building,” Altidore said at the time.

But things soured last season when he spent some eight weeks on the outs with the club after a confrontation with then-coach Chris Armas when the striker was substituted in the 70th minute of a 1-0 loss to Orlando City on May 22.

Altidore spent the time training on his own, away from the first team. But he returned in July after Armas was fired following a 1-8-2 start to the season.

He scored in his first game back, a 1-1 tie with Orlando that marked TFC’s first game at BMO Field since Sept. 1, 2020, and the first with fans in the stands since March 7, 2020. Altidore, pounding the crest on his jersey, and his teammates headed to the southeast corner of the pitch en masse to celebrate.

Altidore never revealed what went wrong behind the scenes.

“At the end of the day, nobody wants to be somewhere where they weren’t wanted,” he said after returning to the fold. “And I’m never going to be in a place if I’m in the way. I want to make sure quickly that doesn’t happen. 

“Things change in football. Things change all the time. And I’m just so happy to be back in the team. I love Toronto.”

Altidore had bumped heads with Toronto management in the past, complaining about medical treatment and support. But TFC players always said he was a caring, supportive teammate.

Some of his goals will last long in club lore.

Despite limping on a bum ankle, he scored the decisive goal against Columbus in Game 2 of the 2017 Eastern Conference final to send Toronto to the MLS Cup final. Then he scored in a 2-0 victory over Seattle to hoist the trophy at BMO Field.

In the 2016 Eastern Conference final, with Toronto trailing 3-2 after the first leg in Montreal, Altidore’s elegant header off a Giovinco corner tied the aggregate at 4-4. It was his fifth straight playoff game with a goal, an MLS record in a single post-season.

And then in the 100th minute, after a spectacular piece of hold-up play, he fed Tosaint Ricketts for the insurance goal in a 5-2 win that gave Toronto a 7-5 comeback aggregate victory.

Altidore came within a whisker of scoring in the 2016 MLS Cup final, only to see Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei pull off a remarkable save to keep it scoreless. Seattle then won via penalty shootout.

In July 2018, in the midst of disappointing league campaign, he showed off an epic goal celebration after scoring in a 3-0 win over visiting Chicago. Altidore, whose season had been interrupted by foot surgery, celebrated by taking off his orange boot and pretending to use it as a phone.

“I was answering the call, man,” he explained later. “Sometimes when your city calls, you’ve got to pick up the phone.”

Altidore also ranks sixth in Toronto appearances, with 172 in all competitions. 

He joined Toronto in January 2015 from England’s Sunderland with English international forward Jermain Defoe going the other way.

Both needed a change of scenery.

Altidore had been unable to find the target regularly in England with three goals in 52 matches for Sunderland. And Defoe, after a much-hyped move to MLS, wanted to go home after one season.

Born to Haitian parents in New Jersey, Altidore moved with his family to Boca Raton, Fla., and joined the U.S. Soccer Residency Program in 2004. He was the youngest player on the roster at the time.

Altidore was drafted 17th overall by the MetroStars (now New York Red Bulls) in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft. He made No. 17 his number as a reminder of his draft status.

After two seasons in MLS, he moved to Spain’s Villarreal CF where he became the first American player to score in La Liga. A loan spell with Spain’s Xerex CD was followed by moves to England’s Hull City, Turkey’s Buraspor and the Netherlands’ AZ Alkmaar before being sold to Sunderland in July 2013.

After representing the U.S. at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada, he earned his first senior cap in November against South Africa just two weeks after his 18th birthday.

He went on to earn 115 caps for his country with 42 goals and 14 assists, and was part of the U.S. World Cup squads in 2010 and 2014.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 11, 2022

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press