With the Pepi news, Altidore offered perspective on his decision to leave the Eredivisie for the Premier League a decade ago
U.S. international Ricardo Pepi is tearing up the scoring charts in Eredivisie, playing for a storied club at PSV, with former U.S. international Ernie Stewart running the club's soccer operation as its general manager. If it sounds familiar, it should.
Just more than a decade ago, U.S. legendary striker Jozy Altidore was doing almost the same exact thing as a leading man for AZ Alkmaar, scoring 51 goals in 67 appearances for the Dutch side between 2011-13. And the club's GM? You guessed it, Stewart.
Like many in the American soccer scene Thursday, Altidore was surprised to to see GOAL's report that an unnamed Premier League has bid for Pepi, a deal that is said to be $20.7 million. Altidore was faced with a similar decision following a dominant 2013 campaign, in which he put 31 goals in 41 appearances. The former player, who recently joined the NFL's Buffalo Bills as a part owner, was rumored to have a host of clubs chasing him the following summer – and he ultimately chose Premier League side Sunderland in a $13 million transfer.
Hindsight is everything for the now-35-year-old.
"I would say one of my biggest regrets was not being patient and not being able to own the decision" Altidore told GOAL Friday. "It's a hard thing to do as a 22, 23-year-old, but at the time when I was at Alkmaar, I had some of the biggest clubs [in world football] that you could want to go to. But the financial differences were massive in terms of what the Premier League clubs could offer."
He added, "If I could do it over again, my gut was telling me to go to one of those bigger clubs in smaller countries. Italy, Spain, Portugal, one of those countries. Go to one of those teams and you'll go to a bigger club and from there, you'll go to the biggest clubs like the Premier League."
AFPReflecting on Sunderland move and Pepi's future
Altidore admitted his decision came down to two factors: A football decision and a family one.
Choosing football would have meant taking less upfront and joining one of the clubs in a less competitive league such as Serie A or the Primeira Liga and continuing to develop. While he wouldn't go into specifics, he revealed two Champions League-level clubs in Italy and one Europa League-level club in Spain had offered him a chance to join their squads.
Yet, family was ultimately more important to Altidore. He wanted to ensure that his parents would never have to work again.
"I come from my family, Haitian immigrants, and we didn't come from money," he explained. "So when you have the opportunity to sign a multi-million dollar contract at the time, you primarily think, 'OK, I need to take this contract for my family.' "
Altidore's family worked blue collar jobs to make ends meet, so he wanted to make a difference in his parents lives in the same way they did when he was growing up. He mentioned that the clubs in other leagues would have been lateral moves financially.
"I could retire my family and that, for me, was why I got into this," Altidore said. "My dad was a mail carrier… I wanted to get him out of that job, get my mom out of working 14-hour shifts as a nurse."
Altidore doesn't know Pepi, the two met haven't interacted much, but he sees similarities.
"I don't know Pepi's upbringing, but the way he plays, I can tell that boy is hungry," Altidore said. "I can see he's a hungry guy and he wants to bring his family [up] and retire them too."
Pepi's rise to prominence is well-known. He was raised by Mexican immigrants in one of the poorest counties in the U.S. in San Elizario, Texas. He started playing soccer at four and left his family home at 13 to play for FC Dallas' academy – a 10-drive from where he grew up.
Altidore offered this advice to Pepi: "If you want to go to a big club [one day], make a footballing decision. If you want to retire your family, make a money decision. If you want to ultimately end up at a big club, maybe go to another very good club for now."
AdvertisementGetty ImagesWeighing in on USMNT striker competition
While most are projecting Pepi as the U.S. striker for the 2026 World Cup, Altidore believes the competition is still open.
"There's no reason for anyone to say Pepi can't do it, but it's completely open," Altidore said. "The position is in great hands."
Altidore believes Pepi, Folarin Balogun and Josh Sargent all offer unique skillsets and all are well-rounded in their games. He then pointed to a wild card: Daryl Dike.
"Daryl Dike, in terms of what he can give you, he's so different from all of them, that he's special in that sense," Altidore said of the West Brom striker. "This guy is the biggest wildcard because if they are all different, he's the most different, in terms of his ceiling."
Health has been a concern for Dike, as he's played just 29 matches since joining West Brom in 2022. Injuries have also taken their toll on Balogun, who is said to be out for four months, and Sargent, who hasn't played since Oct. 29 after sustaining an injury against Middlesbrough.
"If they can get healthy and they all help each other because they play different," he said. "If they can all get healthy, they can have the most unpredictable front line in terms of No. 9 you'll ever see in terms of pace, power, technical ability, running the channels, they all offer something different."
AFPPerspective on Pochettino
Altidore is "bullish" on the U.S.'s chances at the 2026 World Cup, and it all starts with the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino as manager. The Argentine is 3-0-1 since his decision to join U.S. in September, and Altidore believes the Americans' young core is ready to take the next step under the former Tottenham and Chelsea boss.
"I'm really excited because I think the World Cup comes at a good time, where I think key players in key positions will be in a good way," he said. "I'm really bullish on what I believe these guys can do.
"I know Pochettino from my playing days, from playing against his teams [in the Premier League]… He's going to push them and push them in a healthy way. In the same way that I've seen him push his other teams. So I'm super excited for that relationship. On a big stage, I think the timing is right for him to come in. I think he's genuinely excited about it. I think the timing is really good… I hope these guys prove me right."
WHAT'S NEXT FOR PEPI, ALTIDORE AND USMNT?
Altidore is focused on his recent decision to join the Bills as a part owner and continue growing his investment portfolio. Pepi has one more game with PSV in 2024, a highly-anticipated matchup against Feyenoord Saturday. The USMNT will resume action in 2025, when they host Venezuela on Jan. 18 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
