Gettin' cozy with Jozy.

By: Brandon Vondera

With just over three months to go before Mr. Josmore [pronounced ZHOES-MAIR] Volmy Altidore steps on the pitch against England in the World Cup, get reacquainted with the Hull City star.

If you can't already recognize Jozy from his 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup goal against Spain, you may recognize him as the guy next to Ronaldinho and Guillermo Ochoa on your copy of the video-game FIFA 08. Brian Ekberg of Gamespot.com caught up with the prolific striker and asked him what is was like playing as himself in the game fore the first time.

"It was a crazy experience because now, you know, it's not like, 'Look what I just did.' he answered. It's look what Jozy just did. It's a lot of fun and it's great." Altidore also added that his character is actually just like himself. "He's aggressive. he's fast. He's got a very powerful side and he's very energetic and it's spot-on to how I am as a player."

After attending the Bradenton academy in Florida, Altidore has played for the U.S. national team at almost every level. As a possible foreshadowing of his upcoming World Cup 2010 appearance, Jozy received his first call up to the national team on November 17, 2007 for a friendly against South Africa. He turned 18 only 11 days prior to coming in as a 65th minute substitution. A few months later, in February of 2008, he had his first start with team in a friendly versus Mexico where he also scored his first goal.

Aside from the youngsters national team duties, Jozy was taken as the 17th over-all pick in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft, with the MetroStars (now called the New York Red Bulls). In a 2-1 loss to D.C. United in the Eastern Conference Semifinals Series, Altidore headed in a cross, becoming the youngest player to score a MLS playoff goal at just 16 years 337 days. You're going to have to eat all your veggies and practice long hours if you'd like to best that mark. Succeeding his impressive early run in the MLS, Villarreal of the Spanish La Liga signed him for nearly $10 million, the highest transfer fee paid for any MLS player. He is currently on loan to Hull City of the Premiere league, and quite possible could end up staying there.

The boy with nicknames like oatmeal and juice is sure to be a fixture on the nation team for years to come, as he is only 20 years old, and continues to improve. Watch out for his wristbands while he plays. His parents hail from Haiti and he wears both the flags of Haiti and the United States when he plays.

You can follow Jozy on twitter if you like. He posts pretty frequently, and is a funny dude.