Yanks Soccer

I like to read the blogs to get the pulse of the fan.  The pulse after Jozy Altidore’s debut for Hull was pretty unanimous… he’s destined for stardom.  Woah… let’s back it up.  Let’s stop and think for a second.  Read on…

Jozy has fantastic skill.  We all know that.  He’s big, strong, quick, and he uses all of those tools well, but I think a tempering of expectations is in order.  While Jozy’s first touch in the Premiership was perfect, the rest of his performance was slightly less heartening.  Bolton’s defending was shambolic after the goal, and Jozy found himself in space numerous times.  Most premier league defenses are organized and disciplined, so Jozy will need to be on top of his game to get space and shots.

I like to think of England this way:  The top 14 teams are premiership quality.  The final 6 are in between Championship and Premiership along with the top 6 from the Championship.  Bolton is in that bottom 6, and when he goes up against the likes of Chelsea, or even Fulham, space like he saw saturday will be hard to find.

I love Jozy’s game.  I’m not hating on him, I just think the expectations need to be lowered.  Ten goals this season would be fantastic.  The real litmus test comes in a month when Hull face Liverpool.  Unless Jozy starts scoring goals consistently before then, I’ll wait and see how he battles against the big boys.

–Max Zeger