TORONTO – Victor Vazquez could soon have some company on the sidelines for Toronto FC.
A nagging ankle injury prevented Jozy Altidore from playing in Wednesday’s 1-0 road loss to D.C. United in what was TFC’s first match since a home loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps on Oct. 6 officially eliminated them from playoff contention.
Coach Greg Vanney revealed Altidore, 28, has been looked at by doctors and the club is expected to make a decision about the American forward’s immediate future in the coming days. Among the options is surgery, Vanney confirmed.
“[We’re] still treating his ankle – still inflamed, irritation. We’re still managing that. We’ll hopefully have a solution here real soon as to what the ultimate prognosis is going to be and what we’re going to do there,” Vanney said after Friday’s practice.
“He’s been looked at initially by a doctor. Now it’s to decide what the next step is and what the timeline for all of that is going to be.”
Earlier this week, TFC announced it was shutting down Vazquez for the last three games of the season after the Spanish midfielder suffered an injury-plagued 2018 MLS campaign that resulted in him undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery last week. TFC is considering taking the same action by shutting down Altidore for its last two games. Toronto visits the Montreal Impact on Sunday, and then hosts Atlanta United FC next weekend.
“That’s part of the discussion right now and where we’re at. Hopefully we come to a decision here in the next 24 hours or so, and have a clear vision forward for him,” Vanney admitted.
Altidore was a key figure in Toronto’s historic, treble-winning campaign in 2017, scoring 17 goals and tallying six assists in 31 games across the regular season and the playoffs.
But 2018 has been a different story. Altidore missed much of the early portion of the year after having foot surgery, and he’s dealt with this ankle issue for the past several weeks. As a result, he’s been limited to just 13 MLS appearances – although he’s still managed to score a respectable seven goals.
Not being able to call upon one of his best players for the majority of this year has left Vanney frustrated.
“Jozy has proven to be a pivotal player in our team for a variety of reasons. Not just on the field, but I think even with his personality when he’s in there,” Vanney offered.
“Whatever we do in this off-season, it’s to try to get him as prepared as we can and ready to go for [2019] so that hopefully it can be a full year. That’s important because last year we had a good, solid year from him.”
Vanney is certainly talking like someone who expects Altidore to be back in Toronto next year. Altidore sounded as though his future with TFC was uncertain when speaking to reporters after the Vancouver loss.
“It’s not in my hands, man,” Altidore said at the time.
“I think I’ve tried to show every night I’ve stepped on this field at BMO [Field] since 2015 when I arrived to give everything I could all the time. I’ve tried to play for the fans, for my family, for everybody who’s followed this club from Day 1.
“I’ve done what I can at this point. If my future isn’t here, then like I said before it’s been nothing but a pleasure. And I want to thank all the fans for all the support throughout the years and all the best in the future and go from there.”
Altidore’s current contract with Toronto runs out at the end of the 2019 MLS season. Vanney downplayed the significance of Altidore’s comments as an indication that he might not be back next year – that it was just him “feeling out” the club about his long-term future.
“I don’t think there’s anything in that. Like all three of our designated players, they have one more year on their contract, and it’s some feeling out of what’s their career is going to look like beyond that. All along, the position of TFC was when the season ended we would have those discussions [over a new contract], that they probably weren’t going to happen during the season,” Vanney explained.
“So, within that there could be some speculation or feelings or different things, but there is nothing on my side that says Jozy will be gone or anything else. My preparation is for Jozy to be a part of this team next year, and that’s where my head is at. I don’t know anything beyond that.”
Altidore was unavailable to speak to reporters after Friday’s practice.
[relatedlinks]
