Top 5 US players in MLS

Jozy Altidore

SOCCER: MAR 07 CONCACAF Champions League - Tigres UANL at Toronto FC

Jozy Altidore is another player to have made his name abroad before moving back home, where he is a team-mate of Bradley at Toronto FC.

After impressing as a teenager for the New York Red Bulls, scoring 15 times in two years, he moved to Spain with Villarreal, where he struggled to earn a chance in the first team, leaving to loan spells at Xerez, Hull City and Bursaspor.

None of these, however, proved to be successful, but given the chance to shine in the Netherlands with AZ, he scored 39 goals over two seasons.

That was to prove his peak in Europe as a switch to Sunderland yielded just one goal in 42 outings and tarnished his reputation.

He has since rebuilt this with some sterling displays both for Toronto FC and from the national team, with whom he has scored 41 times in 110 appearances.

Altidore’s main attributes are speed, intelligent movement and his high work rate. Like Bradley, he is a player who leans heavily on the physical side of the game but is also versatile enough to play in several different roles across the forward line.

He may be a player looked down upon due to his disappointing spells in Europe, but he is treated like a gem in his homeland.