Lack of fitness, or lack of ability — what’s wrong with Jozy Altidore?

Boston, MA — Forty-five minutes. That’s all Jozy Altidore lasted versus a Haiti side that USMNT and Jurgen Klinsmann did not see coming.

Klinsmann said all the right things in the build up to the game, of course;

“We talked to the players about it and we had a team meeting about Haiti. It’s a team of individual quality,” the German warned media, before adding “If you look at the places that they play quite a lot of them play in Europe. I think Panama got that lesson and we have to make sure we’re not getting caught on the wrong foot here.”

On game day, however, it was almost as if Klinsmann had attached a “just kidding” note to the team sheet. The USMNT manager made 7 changes to a team that, in truth, was extremely unimpressive versus Honduras. Brad Evans played right back and looked awkward, Tim Ream made his first international start in four years at center back, and an obviously unfit (or so we’re told) Jozy Altidore started up-front.

The result was a scary first 35 minutes for the USMNT. Haiti peppered Brad Guzan’s goal with shots but luckily for the American’s they were well off target barring a free-kick that smacked off of Guzan’s crossbar. Marc Collat’s team were easily better, and had the soccer God’s smiled on them during the first half they probably would’ve gone in 2-0 up at the half.

The biggest thing that stood out was Jozy Altidore, and not for good reasons.

Altidore looked slow, cumbersome, and looked like he “had the first touch of a railroad worker” according to a twitter user.

“I felt OK, but my sharpness isn’t there yet,” Altidore said after Friday’s match. “I feel slow. I’m not feeling up to speed with everybody else. Everybody else is playing at a different speed than me. I’m just trying my best, and that’s all I can do.”

His coach Jurgen Klinsmann echoed this sentiment telling press “He’s still in the process of getting his fitness, to become 100% Jozy Altidore and coming back form that hamstring injury it’s not happening overnight; he knows that we know that.”

Is Altidore’s problem fitness, or is it that he’s hit his ceiling? On one hand he’s supposed to be one of the United States’ most important players, and theoretically, USMNT is better with him in the team. But on the other hand Klinsmann’s men really need to win this tournament to guarantee direct entry into the Confederations Cup in 2017 and Jozy hasn’t been up to snuff thus far.

Looking closer at the big front-man’s career might help us discover something.

Jozy started off promisingly with the New York Red Bulls as a 16 year old, but never really progressed after leaving New York. His transfer to Villarreal was an abject failure, as were consequent loans to Xerez in Spain’s Segunda Division (because of injury), Hull City FC in England’s Premie League and Buraspor in Turkey.

From the time Altidore left the Red Bulls in 2008, to joining AZ Alkmaar in Holland in 2011 he had scored just 6 goals. Suddenly, at AZ, he exploded.

Altidore took the Eredivisie by storm scoring 51 goals in 93 appearances, the U.S’s man had finally arrived. His performances in Holland earned him a second chance at the big time — The Premier League.

Summing up Jozy Altidore in the Premier League reads like this: slow, cumbersome, not quite at the same level as the other players. Sound familiar? He scored 3 goals in 52 appearances for Sunderland (that’s 5 goals in 82 games in England’s top division).

So what is the real Jozy Altidore? He said he feels like he’s not up to speed with the rest of the players, but then speed has never been something Jozy has in droves. Klinsmann says he’s not 100% Jozy yet, but then he’s never been a prolific goalscorer, and he’s never had the best of first touches. Fans say he’s important to the team, but 27 goals in 82 games says otherwise — it says he’s not doing his job — that’s almost Emile Heskey realms of bad.

Aron Johnasson proved, once again, he is ready to play a more important role for USMNT. He took his “goal” (it was incorrectly ruled offside) well, and he played like an accomplished international player. He dribbled the ball well, passed the ball with accuracy, he linked the play through being on the ball and picking a pass, as well as doing it with his movement off it.

Aron Johansson wouldn’t just compliment Clint Dempsey, he would make him more dangerous. That’s good for USMNT, good for Dempsey, but bad for Altidore. Johansson makes the team better, Altidore just makes them a little more… disjointed.

USMNT fans should be asking themselves whether Altidore’s struggles are in-fact fitness related, or whether Altidore has finally met his limit ability wise.

If fitness really is the problem, then why on Earth would Jurgen Klinsmann pick him? The Gold Cup is not a pre-season training camp, it is a competition that USMNT must win. If you truly believe Altidore’s struggles are because of fitness issues then he is of more use to Toronto FC right now than he is his country.

USMNT fans eyes have been diverted from the truth about Altidore for too long. For years they were told he wasn’t in the right “system” in Sunderland’s team, meanwhile, he would score goals versus teams like Guatemala, and El Salvador — teams USMNT should comfortably beat — and he kept their hopes up.

Success under Klinsmann has distracted everyone from the cold, hard, facts that Jozy Altidore has scored just 27 goals in 82 international appearances, and just 84 goals in his almost-ten-year-old career.

With USMNT already through to the next round of the Gold Cup, it wont be a surprise to see Altidore play and get some additional minutes. But while you watch at home, think about this tweet from Kim Racon from during the USMNT v Haiti game in Foxborough, MA.

NB: Tweets in GMT (+5 hours), not US Eastern. 

The USMNT face Panama in the CONCACAF Gold Cup tonight. Kick off is 9.30pm eastern time.

TV: Unimas, Fox Sports 1

Follow Scott Nicholls on Twitter: @scottnicholls