Meet U.S. Soccer's New Poster Boy

Oct. 10, 2007 — -- Jozy Altidore is a man-child. Just 17 years old, the American-born soccer phenom stands more than 6 feet tall and weighs no less than 175 pounds. As a boy playing a man's game-- professional soccer with New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer-- he needs every ounce.

Altidore missed a game last May so he could take his girlfriend to her prom, and when he's not enjoying a mid-afternoon nap at his mom's house in New Jersey, the recent high school graduate just might be busy updating his blog on The New York Times Web site.

In a sports culture that is forever reaching for the "next big thing," continued success and development for Altidore would make him the first big thing to come out of our confounding soccer nation. His friend and teammate on the U.S. under-20 national team, the superhyped teen Freddy Adu, has, according to many, taken his millions from Nike and done little else.

As much as the two men -- boys, really -- swear allegiance to one another, Adu and Altidore are remarkably different players, playing different positions. Adu is a midfielder who can appear nifty in spurts, but is prohibitively inconsistent, critics say. Altidore's game remains unrefined, but he plays a straightforward style -- and a position where quality is easy to measure.

Altidore is a striker. His job is to score goals. The measurements are simple. The person is not.

"I think that soccer is the most beautiful game, period," Altidore tells ABC News, having just arisen from another nap. "It has an art to it that no other sport can grasp, not even close. I understand you have to be a person who believes the same, but it's a belief that's growing here in the States."

Altidore's personal growth, here in the States, may be nearing an end. The MLS season finishes in late November. He will turn 18 Nov. 6, and thus become eligible for a move to Europe. There is little doubt that interest exists overseas. Altidore is well-thought of enough that FIFA and EA Sports decided to put him, along with Ronaldinho and Mexican star Guillermo Ochoa, on the cover of the North American version of this year's "FIFA 2008" soccer video game.