Former U.S. men’s national team forward Jozy Altidore likes his version of the squad’s chances against the current crop of talent.
“If the two sides played each other at full strength, I think ours would win,” he said on the latest episode of Kickin’ It, airing Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Golazo Network, talking with hosts Kate Abdo and Altidore’s former teammates Clint Dempsey, Charlie Davies, and Maurice Edu.
“Better is a weird word,” Altidore said. “More complete, I would say our generation in terms of just position from position. Better talent-wise, individual, I would say this one now, but not everywhere. In certain spots.”
The current generation of players, which includes the likes of Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna, is highly regarded for its potential. The young group has done just as well as their older counterparts at the World Cup — the 2022 team went to the round of 16, as did the 2010 and 2014 teams.
Follow the Kickin’ It podcast where Kate Abdo, Clint Dempsey, Charlie Davies and Mo Edu connect with the biggest stars and celebrities in and around soccer to learn about their journeys and what makes them tick.
Altidore was one of the regulars on the team that failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, but backed the talents of that group at their prime years earlier.
Dempsey, Altidore’s teammate on the 2010 and 2014 World Cup teams, concurred.
“That team in 2014 was nice,” he said before Davies prompted him to talk about the 2010 team that finished top of a group that included England. “That team was nice, too!,” he added.
Altidore’s wide-ranging conversation with the group airs at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
