Hand Over His Heart……. By Ray Alley

It was easy to criticize Jozy Altidore when he was playing for the U.S. Men’s National Team when he wasn’t scoring goals.

He scored for his Dutch professional team at a record rate this past season, but had not scored for the U.S. since 2011.

Now he has four goals in four games, and has stoked the offensive fire of the U.S. team that has taken a commanding lead in the final round of qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

And still he is the only one of the 11 U.S. starters who does not place his hand over his heart when the national anthem is played during pregame ceremonies. He stands at attention, is attentive and respectful, but his hands are at his sides.

There are those who say hand over the heart is for saying the pledge of allegiance, and not required for the national anthem. Some say that U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann does not observe the hand-of-the-heart practice.

Well, Klinsmann is not a U.S. citizen. The German-born coach’s wife is an American and his children are American-born, and he has said as late as last fall that he is considering U.S. citizenship at some point in time.

[show_disconnected][show_to accesslevel=’Subscriber’] But Jozy is an American citizen, even though his family heritage lies in Haiti.

Look, Jozy can do whatever he wants to do. That’s part of being an American, as long as it hurts no one.

But to those who say there is no protocol about placing the right hand over the heart for the national anthem, the answer to that is yes and no.

Apparently, it is about whether or not an American flag is being displayed when the anthem is being played. Before these games it is displayed, and in fact, it is displayed throughout the stadium.

So why does Jozy choose to not place his hand over his heart when the anthem is played? Well, you need to ask Jozy. Is he making a statement? Only he really knows.

After all, it is a rather minor action. It’s not a requirement, but rather a willful decision by those who do. He doesn’t want to, so he doesn’t. Perhaps at some point in time he will feel the desire to place his hand over his heart when the anthem begins. After all, it is a rather minor action.

So should Jozy “get a pass” from those who thinks he is begin disrespectful now that he is scoring goals for the U.S.

That is up to you, and about what you think! Chances are it won’t matter much to Jozy what you think!

Playing for the U.S. National team at any level is a special experience, for a player or for a coach. It’s a privilege to represent one’s country, to wear the uniform and to hear the anthem being played. It is a privilege that has to be earned.

So let’s move on to what is really important.

Ten Points In Last Three Qualifiers

Scoring goals is often a result of four key things: opportunity, motivation by the goalscorer, confidence and service from supporting teammates. Those four have come together in a “perfect storm” in wins over Germany, Jamaica, Panama and Honduras.

Scoring goals is, more often than not, a collaborative effort. Often by more than one supportive player.

The U.S. has long needed a go-to scorer. Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey have often filled that role, but not since Brian McBride has the U.S. team had a back-to-the-goal-up-top striker who could consistently hold the ball, distribute and then get on the end of opportunities to finish goals.

At the moment it is Graham Zusi, the former Maryland Terrapin, and Fabian Johnson, the German-born left-sided player, who have provided the service. Those guys are due a lot of credit.

But the bottom line, if you are going to score goals you need to want to score goals. You also must have the confidence to score the opportunities.

Right now, Jozy has both of those. He scored 31 goals this past season in The Netherlands, and he is playing with the confidence gained from that experience.

Let’s hope it continues through the rest of the hexagonal this fall. Let’s hope that it continues through the World Cup next year.

…..And Next Year In Brazil

It should be pointed out that most CONCACAF teams that finish the final qualifying with 13 points finish high enough in the standings to earn at least a play-in series for a spot in the final.

However, there are four more games left for the USA, two of which will be played on home soil.

That is potentially 12 more points. Whatever total the U.S. earns when all of the games have been played, it is always good to win the group.

But qualification isn’t over until it is over. It is important to continue to play well and improve as a unit. It will be interesting to see what happens if Landon Donovan, Steve Cherundolo and Tim Chandler are added back into the mix for the final games.

All of that is on Klinsmann, and what Jozy does with his hands is on his. Meanwhile, I will put mine together and applaud U.S. achievement.