JOZY NAMED TO U-23 SIDE

New York Red Bulls forward Jozy Altidore was one of 23 players named by U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team head coach Peter Nowak who will participate in the squad's second training camp of 2008 from Jan. 26-Feb. 2 at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL. The camp will be the team's final opportunity to train together before Nowak selects the side that will compete in the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament from March 11-23.

Recently, Altidore was invited by U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradley to the squad's first training camp of 2008, which started on Jan. 3 and culminated in the U.S.'s 2-0 friendly win over Sweden on Jan. 19 in Carson, CA. Earning his second senior cap in that match, Altidore came on at halftime and made an impact two minutes in, earning a penalty kick after a Swedish defender felled him in the box. This led to a Landon Donovan goal and a 2-0 U.S. lead.

In December, Altidore, 18, was with the U-23 squad that played a pair of friendlies against the Chinese U-23 National Team on Dec. 13 and 16 in Changsha and Guangzhou, respectively. A few weeks earlier, Altidore earned his first cap for the senior U.S. Men's National Team, when he was a second-half substitute in a 1-0 win over South Africa on Nov. 17.

Altidore has also played at the U.S. U-17 and U-20 levels. In the summer of 2007, Altidore partook in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada, playing a key role in the team's run to the quarterfinals. Altidore was the fourth-leading scorer in the tournament, netting four goals in five matches, including a pair to defeat Brazil, 2-1, in the group stage.

In qualifying, the U.S. U-23s play Cuba on March 11, Panama on March 13 and finish the Group A round-robin competition against Guatemala on March 15. After group play, the top two teams from Groups A and B will advance to the semifinals which will be played on March 20 at LP Field in Nashville, TN. LP Field will also be the location for the third-place game and championship match on Sunday, March 23. The two finalists will advance to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing taking place in August.