Is Jozy Altidore the Latest USMNT Player Heading Back to MLS?

Multiple sources tell me Jozy Altidore and @MLS are in discussions about his return this winter with 3 teams applying. #TFC #RBNY #POR
— Taylor Twellman (@TaylorTwellman) January 7, 2015

ESPN’s Taylor Twellman’s track record when it comes to U.S. Soccer news is sterling, so his tweet Tuesday afternoon that Jozy Altidore is in “discussions” to return to MLS with either the New York Red Bulls, Portland Timbers or Toronto FC (or however the magical MLS allotment rules decide to work in this instance) should be taken seriously. Discussions can mean many different things, especially given all the rampant rumors and speculation that fly around when the January transfer window opens up in Europe. That said, Altidore’s move to Sunderland last summer has gone about as well as Bruce Willis’ foray into pop music.

In other words for those non-80s cheesy pop aficionados: a disaster.

Altidore’s only scored once in EPL play for Sunderland (41 appearances, 2,000+ minutes) and subsequently fallen behind Connor Wickham and Steven Fletcher on Gus Poyet’s depth chart. Sunderland supporters are especially cruel toward Altidore’s short-coming on the field via social media, too. The stats, however, don’t lie:

Jozy Altidore, Sunderland 14-15. Last year he was a futile propeller. This season? The world's saddest bow tie. pic.twitter.com/pBcxTIeLfo
— Ted Knutson (@mixedknuts) January 7, 2015

There were rumors last month that German club Werder Bremen were interested in Altidore, but a move back to MLS makes some sense for the 25-year-old, perhaps less for the team shelling out the money for him. In recent years, MLS clubs have spent money to retain (Omar Gonzalez, Graham Zusi) or bring back (Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, DaMarcus Beasley) veteran American internationals. Altidore would fit this pattern. It would be interesting to see what MLS needs to pay Sunderland to make this happen, since the English club paid $13 million in 2013 to acquire him from Dutch club AZ. Sunderland isn’t a club rich enough to write off that loss without some compensation.

Should this move to MLS happen for Altidore, his standing with the USMNT under Jurgen Klinsmann bears watching. The German coach has continually stated he wants the best American players to push themselves against the best competition in the world. By any measure going from the EPL to the MLS — even if you’re rarely playing and playing poorly when you do — is a step down. On the flip side, Altidore is about the only established striker at Klinsmann’s disposal. The U.S. didn’t have a replacement for him when Altidore blew out his hamstring 20 minutes into the Yanks’ first World Cup game last year vs. Ghana. Klinsmann and Altidore also previously had a falling out during World Cup qualification.

The question above all, is which Altidore would the mystery MLS club receive: the one that couldn’t stop scoring for AZ in 2012-13 and eight times for the National Team in 2013 … or the player he’s been at Sunderland who’d probably wind up on many UK-based writer’s worst XIs lists. If Twellman’s information is to be believed, at least three MLS teams are banking on the former.

Bigger picture, it’s been an interesting couple weeks for MLS, which saw Landon Donovan and Thierry Henry retire, while adding Steven Gerrard and possibly Altidore.