Former US national team striker Jozy Altidore’s days with the Revolution appear to have ended. Altidore is moving to Puebla FC in Mexico on loan through January, Revolution sporting director/head coach Bruce Arena said during a Zoom call Thursday.
The Liga MX Apertura season runs through Sept. 30, followed by Liguilla playoffs.
“He will be going until January to Puebla, and Jozy initiated the loan,” Arena said.
Altidore’s MLS contract runs through 2024, but this move raises doubts that he will return to the Revolution.
“We may make another move,” Arena said. “We’ll wait and see. We have, I think, a couple of weeks now until the transfer window closes. So, we’re considering making another move and we’ll just have to wait and see if we can finalize something over the next week or so.”
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This will be Altidore’s 10th team and seventh country (US, Spain, England, The Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Mexico) since making his pro debut under Arena with the New York Red Bulls in 2006.
Altidore scored one goal in 17 games for the Revolution since being acquired from Toronto FC, the Revolution’s opponent Saturday. Altidore made his fourth start of the season in a 0-0 tie at Columbus last Saturday.
Altidore, 32, is among the highest-paid US players in MLS, earning $4.2 million annually, most of it paid by Toronto in an arrangement set up by Arena and Toronto coach Bob Bradley. Arena hoped Altidore could recover from injury to help make up for the loss of Adam Buksa, who transferred to RC Lens. But Arena has mostly gone with Gustavo Bou as a lone striker, then added forward Giacomo Vrioni as a Designated Player this month.
Altidore has scored 198 goals in club and national team games and totaled 78 goals in 193 MLS matches.
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Puebla plans to use Altidore to replace former Philadelphia Union striker Fernando Aristeguieta, who sustained a broken leg in a recent practice.
Puebla (2-1-2, 8 points) is in fifth place in Liga MX and finished in seventh place in last season’s Apertura standings.