Jozy Altidore interview

This past weekend, ESPN ran a Jozy Altidore interview. 

We here at this blog, however, obtained our own interview with the U.S. superstar and asked the same questions - with better results!

You could have gone a lot of places. Why did you pick Sunderland?

"Honestly I never even heard of the club but hey they are in the Premier League, right? They must be special, no?”

It sounds almost like a college recruiting visit.

"Is that a question or a statement?"

How many teams did you speak to in all?

"Zero. I let my agent do the talking.”

Where were you when you heard the deal was done?

"When you get a deal done with such a prestigious club like Sunderland, it's a moment you never forget. What was your question again?”

Sunderland is such a well-supported club whether they're in the top flight or not -- I'm not sure people realize it.

"Sunderland has everything in place to be a massive club in England. The idea of battling relegation appeals to me since I have been through that before at Hull City. Also the idea of playing in the Tyne-Wear Derby is great – reminds me of back home in the Cub Scouts when we had the Pinewood Derby.”

Did you speak to former U.S. star Claudio Reyna about playing there?

"I did actually speak to Claudio a little bit. He asked me to join New York FC - whatever that means.”

What was your first meeting with Di Canio like?

“I never actually met the boss. I was so desperate to get to the Premier League it didn’t matter if some buffoon like Martin Vasquez was the manager. The Premier League is on NBC!"

What did he say he likes about your game?

"Uh, I still haven’t talked to him. I heard he’s a fascist, do you know if that is true? I am not sure he even knows I am black. Hopefully he won’t figure that out."

You always said if you left AZ this summer, you wanted to go where you'd continue to develop. How will Sunderland help you improve?

"First of all, improvement shouldn’t be hard since I don't remember scoring for Hull the last time I played in this league.  Second, I am not sure how much Sunderland can help me compared to the tutelage I get under United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann. Did you know we are on a record 11-game win streak and I didn’t even play in most of those games?"

How would you describe the style Di Canio wants to play?

"Um, like I said, I haven’t talked to him yet. I have heard he is a like a teddy bear to his guys, though.” 

What are your early impressions of Giaccherini?

“My Italian is not good so I don’t do impressions! But seriously, Jack-A-Roni was a key player at Juventus in the Champions League and that’s where we are trying to get." (Eds. Note – Giaccherini played sparingly in four appearances as a sub in last season’s UCL.)

What did you learn last time around in the EPL that will help?

"I learned that Turkey is a long way from England! I also learned what it must feel like sometimes to be an American-born goalkeeper.

Did you know any of the Sunderland players before you came in?

"I only heard of that Jock Itch guy you mentioned before. Is that guy I head-butted still on the team? 

I know it's early, but have you started to develop any chemistry with your new teammates yet? 

“We beat Clint Dempsey's team already.  Deuce wasn’t even there. Matter of fact, I heard he’s turning tail and going back to MLS. Can you talk to my man Ives Galarcep and see if this is true?”