Jozy Altidore Moving to Toronto FC Per TSN Report

Jozy Altidore is on the verge of returning to MLS, per a report Tuesday night by TSN’s Gareth Wheeler. The deal is basically a swap of strikers with Englishman Jermain Defoe going to Sunderland and Altidore along with a “significant” amount of cash going to Toronto FC. TSN writes that Altidore will sign a four-year deal as an MLS Designated Player. In Toronto Altidore will team with fellow USMNT stalwart Michael Bradley.

The rumblings of Altidore returning to MLS began percolating last week and progressed fairly quickly. The speed of the deal likely prompted by Sunderland, which sits in 16th place in the Premier League with only 18 goals in 21 games. Defoe is proven in the EPL, scoring in double-digits five times in his career. Defoe is a significant upgrade at the Stadium Light over Altidore, who only scored three times in 50 appearances for the club since moving there in the summer of 2013 following a torrid season at AZ in the Netherlands when he set a record for Americans in Europe with 31 goals. That season prompted Sunderland to pay over $10 million for his services.

If true, Altidore is the second member of Jurgen Klinsmann’s World Cup 2014 squad moving to MLS on Tuesday. Earlier in the day Mix Diskerud signed on with expansion NYCFC. How this affects their status with the National Team — Klinsmann has repeatedly urged players to push themselves at the highest level — remains to be seen. These moves push the total number of players from that 23-man squad playing in MLS to 14. (Jermaine Jones and DaMarcus Beasley joined MLS following the World Cup last summer.)

As of now the U.S. has friendlies with Denmark and Switzerland scheduled in March — right around the time the 2015 MLS season kicks off — so it will be very curious what sort of roster Klinsmann calls in. MLS in recent years has become more aggressive offering high salaries to either retain or bring back U.S. National Team members, which doesn’t exactly run in concert with Klinsmann’s personal hopes for many of his top options.

Altidore began his career with the Red Bulls and then went over to Europe with Villareal and bounced around until finding success at AZ. Toronto FC would be the 25-year-old’s eighth club. For Altidore it’s a good deal since his status as an American international means MLS is still willing to pay him a nice salary despite his horrid time at Sunderland and Toronto will offer him ample playing time.

Jozy Altidore returns to @MLS, where he had 15 goals & 5 assists in 37 games for New York from 2006-08.
— Paul Carr (@PaulCarr) January 14, 2015

Toronto continues to shell out lots of money by MLS standards in a push to qualify for the league playoffs for the first time in its history. However gaining Altidore along with cash for Defoe is a solid maneuver by MLS standards. TSN also reports Toronto is pushing for Italian international Sebastian Giovinco when his contract with Juventus expires.