One by one, a procession of U.S. men’s national team players broke from their normal pre-training routines to give Jozy Altidore a hug.

Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tim Ream — they were all eager to acknowledge the USMNT legend — Altidore is the third leading scorer in program history, trailing only Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan — who stopped by to watch coach Mauricio Pochettino put the Americans through their final practice before the Nov. 18 Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal win over Jamaica in St. Louis.

It wasn’t just players. Pochettino himself walked over and warmly greeted his old friend and rival. “Mauricio hasn’t changed one bit,” Altidore, in an exclusive interview with FOX Sports, said of the new U.S. boss, who he faced off against in England’s Premier League when the Argentine managed Tottenham Hotspur and Altidore was a striker for Sunderland, and in Spain before that.

“He’s an incredible guy, and it was really nice of him to come over and go down memory lane, to talk about the battles we had, and about the national team, too.”

Like most USMNT alums, Altidore is a huge fan of his former squad. Across the street at City Park the next night, Altidore got another warm reception in the supporters section, where he joined the American Outlaws during the match.

Altidore was the Americans’ starting striker at the 2010 World Cup at which Donovan starred, and again in 2014, when Dempsey scored twice and wore the captain’s armband. So it makes sense that Altidore is most closely associated with those teams — plus the 2009 edition’s run to the  Confederations Cup final, when Altidore’s winning goal eliminated mighty Spain in the semis. But he’s also a bridge between that USMNT era and this one.

Altidore played alongside Pulisic, McKennie, Ream and several other current national team members before winning his 115th and final U.S. cap in 2019. Had things gone a little differently, he might even have joined them at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Reliable international strikers are the rarest commodity and, like all but the truly elite soccer nations,  the U.S. has never had enough of them. It’s no wonder then that then USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter contacted Altidore in early 2022 and told him he’d be closely monitoring the then 32-year-old’s MLS season with the New England Revolution.

“I didn’t think I’d be a starter or anything like that, just maybe offer something different off the bench and be that veteran presence,” said Altidore, who was limited by fitness issues and managed just one goal in his first 19 appearances with the Revs. He went on a six-month loan to Puebla in Mexico midway through 2022, scoring twice in six Liga MX games. It wasn’t enough. “We talked, but it turned out a different way,” Altidore said. “It’s disappointing, but that’s life. I respect the decision.”

Almost three years later, the U.S. still doesn’t have a locked-in No. 9 up front. Folarin Balogun was one of the few bright spots during the 2024 Copa América debacle, but he hasn’t yet featured for Pochettino because of injury. Ricardo Pepi took advantage of his opportunity in October and November, scoring three times in three games.

“I just love the hunger Pepi plays with,” Altidore said. “When you see a guy up there running and pressing, that attitude spreads to the rest of the team. Balogun and [Josh] Sargent also do that, to be clear. Haji Wright has played well. I’m a fan of Brandon Vazquez. What I’d like to see is a guy like Daryl Dike become healthy, because I think he brings something totally different.”

Now 35, Altidore is almost two years younger than Ream. He never officially announced his retirement, but he knew it was over when the Revs bought out his contract last year. “I wasn’t going to move my family again to play,” said Altidore, who married tennis star and fellow Floridian Sloane Stephens in 2022. The couple splits their time between Los Angeles and Boca Raton, Altidore’s hometown.

Unlike his many former U.S. teammates who now work in the media, Altidore has kept a relatively low profile since hanging up his cleats. His new passion is Sogility, a soccer training business that builds indoor fields in cold-weather states. That’s why Altidore was in St. Louis; Sogility’s newest space opens in nearby Saint Charles, Missouri later this month.

Overall, Altidore likes where the current USMNT is headed. “We’re a year and a half out from the next World Cup, and I think the players are starting to feel that intensity in a good way,” he said.

One thing he doesn’t like?  Former national teamers taking public shots at current ones. Last month, USMNT great Tim Howard made waves when he slammed Pulisic, who celebrated his goal against Jamaica by mimicking a dance popularized by president-elect Donald Trump. Pulisic told reporters afterward that it wasn’t intended to be “political.”

“That explanation doesn’t wash,” Howard wrote in the UK’s Daily Mail. “You’re on one side of this or the other. If you are bold enough to publicly make a statement, I don’t have a problem with that. But own it.”

“Christian Pulisic is a terrific human being,” Altidore said. “I know he’s catching a lot of heat for whatever — I’m not gonna talk about politics — but I’ve known him since he was 17, and I haven’t met a better guy representing the national team. For anybody who’s sat with him and talked with him to say otherwise is baseless and ridiculous. As a person, he’s one of the best you’ll meet. I just want that to be known.”

Pulisic is one of just two U.S. players in history with a better goals-to-games ratio than Altidore. (Dempsey is the other.) With 31 career strikes to Altidore’s 42, it’s probably only a matter of time before he passes him. 

Altidore welcomes it.

“When I look at Weston and Christian today, I can’t help but smile and be proud,” he said. “We were all over there in Europe at one point. We know how difficult it is. Deep down, as Americans, nobody really wants to be there. They’d all love to be home, close to their families. Instead, they’re over there, missing holidays, trying to live out their dreams.

“I always remember that side of it, how lonely it can get,” Altidore continued. “It may sound corny, but especially as former players, it’s important for those guys to know that they’re supported and loved.”

Based on the scene before training in St. Louis, the love for Altidore is mutual.

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