Jozy Altidore‘s career was one that any soccer player in the USA would dream of. From making his professional debut in MLS at just 16 to spending almost a decade in Europe, Jozy left an indelible mark on USMNT history with 42 goals in 115 caps. Bolavip recently sat down with him to delve into several topics, including the 2026 Leagues Cup, the USMNT’s future under Mauricio Pochettino, Michael Bradley‘s role with the New York Red Bulls, and more.
Altidore, who decided to call it a career in 2023, continues to stay up to date with the beautiful game, especially in the US. Recently, he’s been particularly attentive to Leagues Cup action, as the tournament renewed the MLS-Liga MX rivalry with a new format.
In his interview with Bolavip, Jozy analyzed Inter Miami’s early elimination, as well as the upcoming quarterfinal clashes. And, of course, we also had time to analyze the 2026 World Cup, among other subjects.
Jozy Altidore analyzes the 2026 Leagues Cup group stage
Bolavip: Jozy, let’s talk about the Leagues Cup. Now that the knockout stage bracket is set, what did you think about the new group stage format?
Jozy Altidore: I loved it. I really loved it. I loved that the MLS teams were challenged to go now and play in Mexico and experience these environments where football is life. And I thought, when I saw Toluca, the way they received Seattle, I loved it. I loved the passion of the fans. I loved to see what it meant to them. And at the end of the day, it’s an international prize, which is very, very important to both sides. And I think you’ve seen that with how the tournament has taken place.
Jozy Altidore played in two World Cups with the USMNT (2010 and 2014).
Bolavip: You mentioned before the tournament how Inter Miami were favorites, because of course, they have a star-studded team, with Lionel Messi and so on. But it turned out to be quite different for them without Luis Suarez and Messi only starting the first game. What else do you think explains their early elimination?
Jozy Altidore: Well, first, before anything, un gran abrazo a Lionel Messi (a big hug to Lionel Messi). He’s going through something incredibly difficult. And I think for Miami, it’s difficult. When you have your captain, you are… you know, Messi is Messi. One of one. And him not being able to be a part of it for a lot of things…
So I think this year, you have to give a little bit of a pass to Inter Miami. I think they had a lot to deal with, with the passing of his father and him not being able to be the protagonist that Inter Miami needs. So I think that was quite difficult for them. But I think in any other year you would pick Inter Miami to be one of the teams in the last rounds of the tournament. So, I think there was a struggle there for them.
But again, this struggle created a new opportunity. And I think you saw that with teams like Austin FC and Real Salt Lake. I think they took the opportunity to pick up points and find themselves now in the last few rounds playing against some very big teams. So I’m very excited to see how these next matchups on August 25th and 26th take place in the quarterfinal.
Bolavip: Despite this setback for Inter Miami, do you see them as favorites to repeat their MLS Cup title or do you see other threats in the league?
Jozy Altidore: Yeah, I see other threats. But I think the season is a different animal because it’s a long season with the playoffs. So, it’s all about making sure at the right time the team is able to perform at the right level. And I think Inter Miami, with everything that they’ve had to deal with this summer, I’m sure they’re going to start to put it behind them and start to put together better performances now leading into the playoffs.
But football is a funny game. You never say never. And although I think they’re the favorites, anything can happen. We’ve seen Vancouver last year, we’ve seen them already this year performing very well. So I think anything can happen still.
Bolavip: Before the Leagues Cup started you also mentioned Club America as the Liga MX candidate, right? I guess that remains unchanged.
Jozy Altidore: Yeah, I’m 50/50 in my picks. [Laughs] And Club America, I mean, it’s no surprise. I think Club America is one of the biggest teams, if not the biggest team in North America, Central America. And, you know, we see when they play, the fans are traveling to support them. So I think it’s a strong team with a very good, competitive roster, and then they have the fan support as well. So I think they remain one of the more dangerous teams that are left in the draw.
The Chicago Fire’s promising direction under Gregg Berhalter
Bolavip: You also mentioned Real Salt Lake and Austin, but with Miami out, do you see the Chicago Fire, with Robert Lewandowski and a great team, as the strongest MLS candidate to win the Leagues Cup now?
Jozy Altidore: Listen, they’ve won three out of three games. I think Lewandowski is getting more comfortable. They have a good team. They have a good team, they play good football. I think Gregg Berhalter is a good manager. And I think he’s done very well in getting his team to be competitive and play in a clear way with the ball and without the ball.
So I’ve been impressed with Chicago, not only in the Leagues Cup with how they’ve taken in Gregg Berhalter’s ideas. And then, Chicago’s building the stadium. I really like Chicago not only for now, but over the next three, four years, I think it’s an organization that is doing the right things, and it’s gonna be one of, in my opinion, one of the better performing ones. At least we hope so, because of the market, because of what they’re doing to transform that club.
Bolavip: Chicago made a big decision by selling Hugo Cuypers to Monterrey after Lewandowski arrived. What do you think of that decision and how do you see these strikers? Because it will be the main storyline of this quarterfinal clash, right?
Jozy Altidore: Yeah, it’s gonna be interesting. I mean, Cuypers playing his old team, and I don’t know what the situation was there, you know, if they told him he had to leave with Lewandowski coming, I would have imagined they could have played together. But understanding a number nine, sometimes you have to think about what’s best for you. So I understand his decision. And I can’t wait to watch. I urge the fans to make your way to SeatGeek Stadium. Please get out there, watch these games. I think the storyline is going to be really, really cool. And I’m excited to see kind of how they match up against each other.
Bolavip: You recently mentioned Berhalter was a great coach, what do you remember of his tactical vision and how do you see his job in Chicago so far?
Jozy Altidore: Yeah I think, one of the things I’ve always liked about Gregg Berhalter is he wants to play with the ball. He wants to play football. His teams, he wants them to play football. And I think that’s the way, right? That’s the way football needs to be played. The formation he sets, his principles, I think they’re all quite good.
So I’m excited to see now how he plays against Monterrey, which I think is going to be a tougher team than they’ve played. But I think he has all the ability to set up his team tactically to win that game. And then obviously with Lewandowski as your number nine, if you feed him, he will score. So I like Chicago and what they’ve been able to do up to this point, but I think Monterrey will be their toughest test so far.
Mauricio Pochettino’s job with the USMNT
Bolavip: Gregg coached the US Men’s National Team for many years before this experience, and now Mauricio Pochettino has extended his USMNT contract. What do you think about this decision?
Jozy Altidore: Estamos contigo Poch, estamos atrás de ti. Tienes nuestro apoyo. (We are with you, Poch, you’ve got our support). I love Pochettino, I’m a big fan. You know, obviously I have history, we played against each other back a long time ago and then to see him really welcome what it is to be the coach of the US Men’s National Team, the culture, and to do the work, right? It’s not easy.
There’s a lot of work that had to be done and he welcomed that work. And I think it was a job well done. And I think he kind of helped the federation, the players see that there’s still another level that we have to grow to. So, I’m excited to have Poch. I hope he stays for as long as possible. And then that he can build a team that’s really competitive for 2030, whether he’s there or no, because you know, football is crazy.
But having Pochettino work with our federation, work with our young players, help us plant the seeds on how we move forward, I think is invaluable. And so I’m very thrilled that he’s staying with us a bit longer.
Jozy Altidore before a game with the USMNT.
Bolavip: How far or how close do you think the US Men’s National Team is from other top teams? The World Cup was a bit bittersweet in that sense, right?
Jozy Altidore: Yeah, it was difficult, you know. And I use the word ‘fracaso’ (failure). It was a ‘fracaso’ to me, not because the players had a bad tournament, the players had a great tournament. But in the manner we lost that game, when I’m sure the players know that they are capable of much more, it was a bit of a shame, right?
And so I think the biggest thing though is, we have to continue making steps with the national team, but also our youth teams, you know? You can’t just win a World Cup overnight, right? It has to start from the youth. And are we competitive in the Youth World Cups? Are we constantly in the last four, in the last eight of the youth tournaments? Because I think those experiences are important at that age, but also it helps set the tone for the rest of the federation.
So I think you have to build from the ground up, and having more teams now challenge for the Under-17, the Under-20, the Olympics, I think this has to be something of a goal of ours as well to then help feed the national team.
Bolavip: You played in Europe a lot. How important or necessary do you think that is for the growth of the team? Is it relevant or not, really?
Jozy Altidore: Yes. Listen, I think it’s relevant. I think no matter where you play, it’s important to play well. I think the most relevant thing to continue the growth because, you know, we need to make sure that the environment that the players have in the US is an environment that they’re uncomfortable in. Right?
Even though they’re at home, we have to make it uncomfortable with how we challenge them. How we make them play, how we give them ideas to constantly keep feeding, elevating a football mind. And that starts with the coaching, so can we continue to educate our coaches that we have top coaches here that are challenging our young players all the way from, eight, nine years old in the básicos (academy) all the way to the first team.
So for me, it’s improving the coaching and providing environments where the players at a young age are uncomfortable. And then obviously from there, taking them to Europe is going to be very important.
The USMNT strikers and the next World Cup cycle
Bolavip: Does any current player from the USMNT remind you of yourself?
Jozy Altidore: [Laughs] Um… of course, when I watch Balogun, it brings a smile to my face because I think this is a striker that showed he can do everything. And I always wanted to be a striker that can score every type of goal. From a set piece, left foot, free kick, header, penalty kicks. And when I watch Balogun and how he moves and how he plays, he’s dangerous in so many different ways of the game. It was a real joy for me because you need a striker like that.
And also Ricardo Pepi. I think Ricardo Pepi is a different striker, but his hunger… you know, he’s so hungry. You can see every time he touches the field he wants more. And then you also have Haji Wright, who is a different striker but had a fantastic season and another striker that scores goals in many different ways. And so it really pleases me to see that.
I see a little bit of myself in all of these guys, not only in how they play but their journey. You know, from Pepi leaving MLS at a young age, Balogun doing what he’s doing in Europe, and Haji Wright as well. So it’s exciting to see those guys. And I’m very excited to see what they can do in this next cycle and the other new number nines that we’re going to develop going into Madrid 2030.
Jozy Altidore celebrating one of his last goals for the USMNT.
Bolavip: Do expect many changes for the next World Cup cycle?
Jozy Altidore: Of course. There’s gonna be changes. You know, for a lot of these players, it’s their third World Cup in a row. It’s not gonna be that easy, right? There’s gonna be new blood. I think for obviously some of the more experienced players, maybe it’ll be more of the same, but I think you’re gonna have challenges, you’re gonna have players challenging for places. And, to be honest, you need it. You need it so that the team remains competitive, the team remains strong.
Altidore sees serious potential in Bradley and MLS
Bolavip: And going back to MLS, how do you see the New York Red Bulls, the team that drafted you, and Michael Bradley, your former teammate (on the USMNT and Toronto FC)?
Jozy Altidore: I think Michael has done a great job. I think it’s not easy to go into a team that historically is not spending like the rest of the teams. It’s a first-class organization, but they have a methodology and how they want to bring up the youth players and what they want to do there. So I think for any coach, when you go to Red Bull, you need to have this in the back of your mind. And you need to work in a little bit of a different way. And I think Michael has done a great job.
It’s not easy ever in your first season, especially as a coach, but I think he’s only going to continue to get better. He has great football experience as a player, but also playing with him, the way he’s able to break down a game is like nobody else that I know. And so I’m very bullish on Michael. I think Michael is just a start. And I know some of the results lately haven’t been great, but I think Michael is a national team coach in the future, in my mind.
He’s a coach that is going to start in MLS but also going to coach in Europe in a big league, in my opinion. So, I think Michael is, is, is terrific. I, I really like what he’s doing. Obviously, there’s going to be challenges, but I think he’s really a coach of the future that we have to one, support, obviously be critical of, but support and, and help him as a footballing nation to continue to rise as a coach and get to the next level to give that experience back to the young players.
Michael Bradley (left) and Jozy Altidore spent time together on the USMNT and Toronto FC.
Bolavip: Do you imagine yourself working with him or in a coaching role in the future?
Jozy Altidore: [Laughs] I don’t know man, I don’t know about that. You know, I have to coach my son now at home, and that’s literally my biggest priority. But I don’t know. I don’t know. It involves a lot of traveling, it’s different. But you never say never. You never say never in this life. We’ll have to see. But he’s doing a terrific job and it’s great to see him go from playing and being like a general coach on the pitch to now being a general and a coach off the pitch.
Bolavip: Yes, you never know. I mean, you can still come back and play, so who knows?
Jozy Altidore: [Laughs] Yeah, listen, I would love to. I never say never in anything. I love the game. I’m a football player first before anything. So who knows.
Bolavip: MLS continues to land big names: Lewandowski, Antoine Griezmann, Alexis Sanchez. What do you think about this?
Jozy Altidore: I think it’s excellent because you’re seeing Lewandowski, you’re seeing Alexis Sanchez, you’re seeing (Heung-min) Son, you’re seeing (Luis) Suarez, Lionel Messi. But then you’re also seeing transfers for big money for players, right? For our young players.
Ricardo Pepi a few years ago went for a big transfer. (Zavier) Gozo from Real Salt Lake, he’s now leaving for a big transfer. So as much as we’re seeing the older players that have these great careers come back and want to play in MLS, we’re also seeing a lot of young players too at the same time now going to Europe for big transfer fees. And that speaks to MLS and the way they develop these players.
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