United States head coach Jurgen Klinsmann is playing things close to the vest when it comes to the health of striker Jozy Altidore.
It was revealed Monday, just over 24 hours before the Americans' game against Belgium (4 p.m., ESPN) that Altidore will return from a hamstring injury suffered two weeks ago to play Tuesday.
"We don’t know how much [Altidore will play] because we didn't see how things were going, but he's available," Klinsmann told Yahoo! Sports. "And this is what we wanted. This is what we hoped for ... The medical staff has been working with Jozy and they have done a tremendous job, day and night. Just having him with us [Tuesday] is huge. But as for how many minutes, we'll see that during the game."
A healthy Altidore would certainly give the U.S. a lift offensively. Altidore came into the 2014 World Cup as, arguably, the Americans' most dangerous scorer despite his slump with Sunderland in the English Premier League. The striker showed signs that he was breaking out of the funk in a friendly against Nigeria back on June 7 when he pumped in both of the United States' goals in a 2-1 win.
Prior to Altidore's unsuccessful first season in the EPL (he scored just two goals), the 24-year-old lit it up for AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands, scoring 31 goals.
Follow Metro Boston sports editor Matt Burke on Twitter: @BurkeMetroBOS
