Football
ESPN 5y

Altidore: On 'same page' with Toronto president after rift over trainer

Toronto FC president Bill Manning said he has cleared the air with Jozy Altidore after the star striker said that Manning should "put his ego aside" following a match last week. 

Altidore called out Manning after Toronto's 4-3 win over Minnesota United on Friday, expressing his dissatisfaction over the offseason dismissal of team trainer Giuseppe Gueli. Altidore had exited that game with a hamstring injury.

Manning said in a news conference on Monday that Altidore "didn't have all the information" and that the club is in the process of bringing back Gueli.

"Now, I think he sees what I was working on, and we're both in a good place. We're moving forward in terms of Giuseppe's role with the club," said Manning, who added that Altidore is expected to miss 2-3 weeks with the injury.

Altidore posted an apology on Twitter on Monday, saying:  "I want to apologize to Bill Manning and the Toronto FC organization for my comments following Friday's match. I let my emotions get the best of me when speaking to the media after our wild comeback win over Minnesota. 

"Bill and I connected this morning and I can confidently say we're on the same page."

Altidore spoke to reporters after Friday's game saying that he was faced with a "game of egos" and that Gueli's termination was due to former MLS MVP Sebastian Giovinco's acrimonious exit from Toronto FC this winter.

"Well, we had a trainer here the last three years that's been helping me with muscle injuries, but because he was attached to Seba [Giovinco], he's not allowed at the club, which I think is ridiculous," Altidore said. "And so now this is what I'm faced with -- games of egos and that [kind of] thing. Hopefully [Manning] can put his ego aside and I can get the guy that's kept me healthy, kept Michael [Bradley] healthy, kept a bunch of the guys healthy, and we can make things move forward."

^ Back to Top ^