Michael Bradley may be set to split his time between club and country during the upcoming international window, thanks to an agreement between U.S. Soccer and Toronto FC--but his friend and teammate Jozy Altidore won't.
That's according to Canadian journalist John Molinaro. He took to Twitter on Friday morning to cite anonymous sources stating that TFC's strapping striker will take part in both of the US national team's September friendlies, the first vs. Peru in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 4, and the second vs. Brazil on Sept. 8 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Bradley, who captains both TFC and the USMNT, confirmed in a Toronto radio interview on Friday morning that he'll take part in the Reds' visit to the Seattle Sounders on Sept. 5 (10 pm ET; TSN2 in Canada, MLS LIVE in US), thus missing out on the Peru match. But he'll join up with the Yanks in New England if so requested.
“I'll be with Toronto FC in Seattle. There was some discussion between everyone at U.S. Soccer and everyone at Toronto FC, going back a few months to when we played those friendlies in June," Bradley said. "There was agreement that for this game in Seattle that I'd be able to stay with Toronto FC and then afterwards, if Jurgen [Klinsmann] would like, then I'll join up with the team in Boston for the game against Brazil.”
Both teams have plenty on the line over the next few weeks. The USMNT are preparing for October's high-stakes Confederations Cup playoff match against Mexico, while TFC – currently placed fourth in the MLS Eastern Conference with 34 points from 24 games – are hotly pursuing their long-awaited first playoff appearance.
