The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows Scrooge his future in Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

The future is the indefinite time period after the present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the nature of the reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently exists and will exist can be catagorized as either permanent meaning that they will exist for the whole of the future or temporary meaning that they won't and thus will come to an end. The future and the concept of eternity have been major subjects of philosophy, religion, and science and defining them non-controversially has consistently eluded the greatest of minds.^[1] It is the opposite of the past, and is the time after the present.^[2] In the Occidental view, which uses a linear conception of time, the future is the portion of the projected time line that is anticipated to occur.^[3] In special relativity the future is considered to be absolute future or the future light cone.^[4] In physics, time is considered to be the fourth dimension of the universe.^[5]

In the philosophy of time, presentism is the belief that only the present exists and the future and the past are unreal. Religions consider the future when they address issues such as karma, life after death, and eschatologies that study what the end of time and the end of the world will be. Religious figures have claimed to see into the future, such as prophets and diviners. Organized efforts to predict or forecast the future may have derived from observations by early man of heavenly objects.

Future studies, or futurology, is the science, art and practice of postulating possible futures. Modern practitioners stress the importance of alternative and plural futures, rather than one monolithic future, and the limitations of prediction and probability, versus the creation of possible and preferable futures.

In art and culture, the future was explored in several art movements and genres. The futurism art movement at the beginning of the 20th century explored every medium of art, including painting, sculpture, poetry, theatre, music, architecture and even gastronomy. Futurists had passionate loathing of ideas from the past, especially political and artistic traditions. Instead, they espoused a love of speed, technology, and violence.^[6][7] Futuristic music involved homage to, inclusion of, or imitation of machines. Futurism expanded to encompass other artistic domains and ultimately included industrial design, textiles, and architecture.

Forecasting[link]

Organized efforts to predict or forecast the future may have derived from observations by early humans of heavenly objects, which changed position in predictable patterns. The practice of astrology, today considered pseudoscience, evolved from the human desire to forecast the future. Much of physical science can be read as an attempt to make quantitative and objective predictions about events.

Forecasting is the process of estimation in unknown situations. Due to the element of the unknown, risk and uncertainty are central to forecasting and prediction. It can refer to estimation of time series, cross-sectional or longitudinal data.

Prediction is a similar, but more general term. Both can refer to estimation of time series, cross-sectional or longitudinal data. Econometric forecasting methods use the assumption that it is possible to identify the underlying factors that might influence the variable that is being forecast. If the causes are understood, projections of the influencing variables can be made and used in the forecast. Judgmental forecasting methods incorporate intuitive judgments, opinions and probability estimates, as in the case of the Delphi method, scenario building, and simulations. Forecasting is applied in many areas, including weather forecasting, earthquake prediction, transport planning, and labour market planning.

Despite the development of cognitive instruments for the comprehension of future, the stochastic nature of many natural and social processes has made precise forecasting of the future elusive. Modern efforts such as future studies attempt to predict social trends, while more ancient practices, such as weather forecasting, have benefited from scientific and causal modelling.

Future studies[link]

Future studies or futurology is the science, art and practice of postulating possible, probable, and preferable futures and the worldviews and myths that underlie them. Futures studies seeks to understand what is likely to continue, what is likely to change, and what is novel. Part of the discipline thus seeks a systematic and pattern-based understanding of past and present, and to determine the likelihood of future events and trends. A key part of this process is understanding the potential future impact of decisions made by individuals, organisations and governments. Leaders use results of such work to assist in decision-making.

According to Hubbert peak theory, peak oil is the date when the peak of the world's production of conventional petroleum (crude oil) is reached.

Futures is an interdisciplinary field, studying yesterday's and today's changes, and aggregating and analyzing both lay and professional strategies, and opinions with respect to tomorrow. It includes analyzing the sources, patterns, and causes of change and stability in the attempt to develop foresight and to map possible futures. Modern practitioners stress the importance of alternative and plural futures, rather than one monolithic future, and the limitations of prediction and probability, versus the creation of possible and preferable futures.

Three factors usually distinguish futures studies from the research conducted by other disciplines (although all disciplines overlap, to differing degrees). First, futures studies often examines not only possible but also probable, preferable, and "wild card" futures. Second, futures studies typically attempts to gain a holistic or systemic view based on insights from a range of different disciplines. Third, futures studies challenges and unpacks the assumptions behind dominant and contending views of the future. The future thus is not empty but fraught with hidden assumptions.

Futures studies does not generally include the work of economists who forecast movements of interest rates over the next business cycle, or of managers or investors with short-term time horizons. Most strategic planning, which develops operational plans for preferred futures with time horizons of one to three years, is also not considered futures. But plans and strategies with longer time horizons that specifically attempt to anticipate and be robust to possible future events, are part of a major subdiscipline of futures studies called strategic foresight.

The futures field also excludes those who make future predictions through professed supernatural means. At the same time, it does seek to understand the models such groups use and the interpretations they give to these models.

Physics[link]

This section requires expansion.

This section needs attention from an expert on the subject. The following WikiProjects or Portals may be able to help recruit one: • WikiProject Time • WikiProject Physics If another appropriate WikiProject or portal exists, please adjust this template accordingly. (April 2009)

A visualisation of the future light cone (at top), the present, and the past light cone in 2D space.

In classical physics the future is just a half of the timeline. In special relativity the future is considered as absolute future or the future light cone. In physics, time is considered to be a fourth dimension. Physicists argue that space-time can be understood as a sort of stretchy fabric that can bend due to forces such as gravity. While a person can move backwards or forwards in the three spatial dimensions, many physicists argue you are only able to move forward in time.^[8]

The physicist who advised the makers of the fictional time-travel film Déjà Vu claims that a person could hypothetically travel into the future if they had a spaceship that could travel at almost the speed of light. After a voyage on this ship, if a person returned to Earth, millions of years would have passed in Earth time.^[8] Some physicists claim that by using a wormhole to connect two regions of space-time a person could theoretically travel in time. Physicist Michio Kaku points out that to power this hypothetical time machine and "punch a hole into the fabric of space-time", it would require the energy of a star. Another theory is that a person could travel in time with cosmic strings.

Philosophy[link]

This section requires expansion.

In the philosophy of time, presentism is the belief that only the present exists and the future and the past are unreal. Past and future "entities" are to be construed as logical constructions or fictions. The opposite of presentism is 'eternalism', which is the belief that things in the past and things yet to come exist eternally. One other view (that has not been held by very many philosophers) is sometimes called the 'growing block' theory of time, which is a theory that takes the past and present to exist but the future to be nonexistent.^[10]

Presentism is compatible with Galilean relativity, in which time is independent of space but is probably incompatible with Lorentzian/Einsteinian relativity in conjunction with certain other philosophical theses which many find uncontroversial. Saint Augustine proposed that the present is a knife edge between the past and the future and could not contain any extended period of time.

Contrary to Saint Augustine, some philosophers propose that conscious experience is extended in time. For instance, William James said that time is "the short duration of which we are immediately and incessantly sensible".^{[citation needed]} Augustine proposed that God is outside of time and present for all times, in eternity. Other early philosophers who were presentists include the Buddhists (in the tradition of Indian Buddhism). A leading scholar from the modern era on Buddhist philosophy is Stcherbatsky, who has written extensively on Buddhist presentism:

Psychology[link]

This section requires expansion.

While ethologists consider animal behavior to be largely based on fixed action patterns or other learned traits in an animal's past, human behavior is known to encompass an anticipation of the future. Anticipatory behavior can be the result of a psychological outlook toward the future, for examples optimism, pessimism, and hope.

Optimism is an outlook on life such that one maintains a view of the world as a positive place. People would say that optimism is seeing the glass "half full" of water as opposed to half empty. It is the philosophical opposite of pessimism. Optimists generally believe that people and events are inherently good, so that most situations work out in the end for the best.Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. Hope implies a certain amount of despair, wanting, wishing, suffering or perseverance — i.e., believing that a better or positive outcome is possible even when there is some evidence to the contrary. "Hopefulness" is somewhat different from optimism in that hope is an emotional state, whereas optimism is a conclusion reached through a deliberate thought pattern that leads to a positive attitude.

Religion[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Religions consider the future when they address issues such as karma, life after death, and eschatologies that study what the end of time and the end of the world will be. In religion, major prophets are said to have the power to change the future. Common religious figures have claimed to see into the future, such as minor prophets and diviners. The term "afterlife" refers to the continuation of existence of the soul, spirit or mind of a human (or animal) after physical death, typically in a spiritual or ghostlike afterworld. Deceased persons are usually believed to go to a specific region or plane of existence in this afterworld, often depending on the rightness of their actions during life.

Some believe the afterlife includes some form of preparation for the soul to be transferred to another body (reincarnation). The major views on the afterlife derive from religion, esotericism and metaphysics. There are those who are skeptical of the existence of the afterlife, or believe that it is absolutely impossible, such as the materialist-reductionists, who believe that the topic is supernatural, therefore does not really exist or is unknowable. In metaphysical models, theists generally believe some sort of afterlife awaits people when they die. Atheists generally do not believe in a life after death. Members of some generally non-theistic religions such as Buddhism, tend to believe in an afterlife like reincarnation but without reference to God.

Agnostics generally hold the position that like the existence of God, the existence of supernatural phenomena, such as souls or life after death, is unverifiable and therefore unknowable. Many religions, whether they believe in the soul’s existence in another world like Christianity, Islam and many pagan belief systems, or in reincarnation like many forms of Hinduism and Buddhism, believe that one’s status in the afterlife is a reward or punishment for their conduct during life, with the exception of Christianity, which believes one's status in the afterlife is a gift from God and cannot be earned during life. “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2: 8,9)

Eschatology is a part of theology and philosophy concerned with the final events in the history of the world, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world. While in mysticism the phrase refers metaphorically to the end of ordinary reality and reunion with the Divine, in many traditional religions it is taught as an actual future event prophesied in sacred texts or folklore. More broadly, eschatology may encompass related concepts such as the Messiah or Messianic Age, the end time, and the end of days.

In art and culture[link]

Futurism[link]

Futurism was an art movement that originated in Italy at the beginning of the 20th century. Futurism was a largely Italian and Russian movement, although it also had adherents in other countries, England and Portugal for example. The Futurists explored every medium of art, including painting, sculpture, poetry, theatre, music, architecture and even gastronomy. Futurists had a passionate loathing of ideas from the past, especially political and artistic traditions. They also espoused a love of speed, technology, and violence. Futurists dubbed the love of the past passéisme. The car, the plane, the industrial town were all legendary for the Futurists, because they represented the technological triumph of people over nature. The Futurist Manifesto had declared, "We will glorify war - the world's only hygiene - militarism, patriotism, the destructive gesture of freedom-bringers, beautiful ideas worth dying for, and scorn for woman." ^[7] Although it owed much of its character and some of its ideas to radical political movements, it was not much involved in politics until the autumn of 1913.^[12]

One of the many 20th century classical movements in music was one which involved homage to, inclusion of, or imitation of machines. Closely identified with the central Italian Futurist movement were brother composers Luigi Russolo and Antonio Russolo, who used instruments known as "intonarumori", which were essentially sound boxes used to create music out of noise. Luigi Russolo's futurist manifesto, The Art of Noises, is considered to be one of the most important and influential texts in 20th century musical aesthetics. Other examples of futurist music include Arthur Honegger's Pacific 231, which imitates the sound of a steam locomotive, Prokofiev's "The Steel Step", and the experiments of Edgard Varèse.

Literary futurism made its debut with F.T. Marinetti's Manifesto of Futurism (1909). Futurist poetry used unexpected combinations of images and hyper-conciseness (not to be confused with the actual length of the poem). Futurist theater works have scenes that are few sentences long, and which use nonsensical humor and which attempt to discredit the deep-rooted dramatic traditions with parody. The longer forms of literature, such as the novel, had no place in the Futurist aesthetic, which was obsessed with speed and compression.

Futurism expanded to encompass other artistic domains and ultimately included painting, sculpture, ceramics, graphic design, industrial design, interior design, theatre design, textiles, drama, literature, music and architecture. In architecture, it was characterized by a distinctive thrust towards rationalism and modernism through the use of advanced building materials. The ideals of futurism remain as significant components of modern Western culture; the emphasis on youth, speed, power and technology finding expression in much of modern commercial cinema and culture. Futurism has produced several reactions, including the 1980s-era literary genre of cyberpunk — in which technology was often treated with a critical eye.

Science fiction[link]

Print (c. 1902) by Albert Robida showing a futuristic view of air travel over Paris in the year 2000 as people leave the opera.

Science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein defines science fiction as:

More generally, science fiction is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or future science or technology. Science fiction is found in books, art, television, films, games, theater, and other media. Science fiction differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically established or scientifically postulated laws of nature (though some elements in a story might still be pure imaginative speculation). Settings may include the future, or alternative time lines, and stories may depict new or speculative scientific principles, such as time travel or psionics, or new technology, such as nanotechnology, faster-than-light travel or robots. Exploring the consequences of such differences is the traditional purpose of science fiction, making it a "literature of ideas".^[14]

Some science fiction authors construct a postulated history of the future called a "future history" which serves as a common background for their fiction. Sometimes the author publishes a timeline of events in their history, while other times the reader can reconstruct the order of the stories from information provided therein. Some works were published which constituted "future history" in a more literal sense - i.e., stories or whole books purporting to be excerpts of a history book from the future and which are written in the form of a history book - i.e., having no personal protagonists but rather describing the development of nations and societies over decades and centuries. Examples include H.G. Wells' The Shape of Things to Come (1933), which was written in the form of a history book published in the year 2106 and - in the manner of a real history book - containing numerous footnotes and references to the works of (mostly fictitious) prominent historians of the 20th and 21st centuries.

See also[link]

• Alternative future
• Cheiromancy
• Futurism
• Futurology
• Futurewise
• Paleofuture

Future events[link]

• Timeline of the near future
• Timeline of the future in forecasts
• Timeline of the far future
• Future of the Earth
• Future of the Solar System
• Future of an expanding universe

References[link]

v t e Time Major concepts Time Eternity Arguments for eternity Immortality History Past Present Future Futures studies Deep time Time Portal Measurement and standards Chronometry UTC UT TAI Second Minute Hour Sidereal time Solar time Time zone Metric time Decimal time Hexadecimal time Clock Astrarium History of timekeeping devices Horology Marine chronometer Sundial Water clock Calendar Day Week Month Year Tropical year Gregorian Islamic Julian Intercalation Leap second Leap year Chronology Astronomical chronology Calendar era Chronicle Dating methodologies Geochronology Geologic Time Geological history Periodization Regnal year Timeline Religion and mythology Dreamtime Kāla Kalachakra Prophecy Time and fate deities Wheel of time Philosophy A-series and B-series B-Theory of time Causality Endurantism Eternal return Eternalism Event Perdurantism Presentism Temporal finitism Temporal parts The Unreality of Time Physical sciences Time in physics Absolute time and space Arrow of time Chronon Coordinate time Planck epoch Planck time Proper time Spacetime Theory of relativity Time dilation Gravitational time dilation Time domain T-symmetry Biology Chronobiology Circadian rhythms Psychology Mental chronometry Sense of time Specious present Sociology and anthropology Long Now Foundation Time discipline Time use research Economics Time value of money Time-based currency Time Banking Related topics Carpe diem Duration Space System time Tempus fugit Time capsule Time signature Time travel

Jozy Altidore

Personal information
Full name	Josmer Volmy Altidore[1]
Date of birth	(1989-11-06) November 6, 1989 (age 22)
Place of birth	Livingston, New Jersey, United States
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2][3]
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	AZ Alkmaar
Number	17
Youth career
2004–2006	IMG Soccer Academy
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2006–2008	New York Red Bulls	37	(15)
2008–2011	Villarreal	9	(1)
2009	→ Xerez (loan)	0	(0)
2009–2010	→ Hull City (loan)	28	(1)
2011	→ Bursaspor (loan)	12	(1)
2011–	AZ	34	(15)
National team‡
2005	United States U17	2	(0)
2007	United States U20	5	(4)
2008	United States U23	3	(1)
2007–	United States	46	(13)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14 April 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 29 February 2012

Josmer Volmy "Jozy" Altidore (born November 6, 1989)^[4] is an American soccer player currently playing for Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar, and for the United States national team.

Altidore made his professional debut in 2006 at the age of 16 with the New York Red Bulls. In the middle of his third season with New York, in 2008, he made a transfer to Villarreal. During his time with Villarreal, he left on three loan stints – with Spanish Segunda División club Xerez in February–May 2009, English Premier League club Hull City for the entire 2009–10 season, and Turkish club Bursaspor where he went on a six month loan. In the summer of 2011, he made the switch to AZ Alkmaar.

Altidore has represented the United States on various levels of international competition, featuring for the United States U-17 team at the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship, U-20 team at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, the U-23 team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and the senior national team at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Early life[link]

The youngest of four children, Altidore was born in Livingston, New Jersey and raised in Boca Raton, Florida. He enjoyed playing soccer from the time he was a boy.^[5] His parents, Joseph and Giselle, were both born in Haiti (Altidore pays tribute to his heritage by wearing a wristband bearing both the flags of Haiti and the United States during his games). Growing up, he played club soccer for GBYSA and Boca Juniors Soccer Club. As a high schooler, he attended Boca Prep International School before joining the U.S. U-17 Residency program.

Club career[link]

New York Red Bulls[link]

Altidore was taken seventeenth overall in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft, with the MetroStars (now the New York Red Bulls) trading up to receive the selection. Altidore spent the majority of the 2006 season away from the team while working towards his high school diploma in Florida.

Altidore made his professional debut on August 23, 2006, as a substitute in a 3–1 U.S. Open Cup loss to D.C. United. He scored his first professional goal at the age of sixteen with an 83rd minute, 28-yard shot to beat the Columbus Crew 1–0 on September 16, 2006. Exactly one week later, on September 23, 2006, in a 4–3 loss to D.C. United, Altidore scored again. Scoring three times in seven appearances, including a crucial goal against Chicago Fire on September 30, 2006, Altidore became a fan favorite. He scored the Red Bulls' only goal of their 2–1 aggregate loss to D.C. United in the Eastern Conference Semifinals Series when he headed in a cross in the second leg. With that goal, he became the youngest player to score in the Major League Soccer playoffs at 16 years, 337 days (breaking DaMarcus Beasley's record by almost three years). Altidore was also youngest to start in a Major League Soccer playoff match on October 21 against D.C. United (16 years, 349 days). He also scored two goals in a 5–4 win over Los Angeles Galaxy on August 18, 2007.

Villarreal[link]

On June 4, 2008, Villarreal of La Liga agreed in principle with Major League Soccer and the New York Red Bulls to sign Altidore for roughly $10 million or €7.4 million.^[6][7] This transfer fee surpasses Fulham's fee for Clint Dempsey, which was $4 million or roughly £2 million, and is now the largest fee paid for any MLS player. Altidore finalized his personal contract and was unveiled by the club on June 11, 2008.^[8][9] On September 14, 2008, Jozy made his La Liga debut, coming on as a second half substitute against Deportivo La Coruña. On November 1, 2008, Jozy became the first American international to score in La Liga when he came on in the 90th minute and scored against Athletic Bilbao.^[10] On November 30, 2008, Jozy started his first game in La Liga against Recreativo Huelva. After spending a year and a half on loan, Altidore returned to Villarreal. He favored staying with Villarreal instead of another loan to try to prove to the club he is worth the investment they made two years ago.

Xerez[link]

On January 30, 2009, Villarreal agreed to loan Altidore to Xerez, leader of the Segunda División at the time of the transfer, until the end of the 2008–09 season.^[11] It was expected that the move would allow Altidore to get more playing time, and also allow him to continue the process of assimilating into the Spanish culture.^[12]

On April 16, 2009, Altidore underwent minor surgery on an injured toenail that required more than a month of recovery, resulting in him never making an appearance for Xerez.^[13]

Hull City[link]

On August 5, 2009, Altidore announced on his Twitter page that he would be loaned to English Premier League club Hull City.^[14] He joined Hull City the next day on a season-long loan with the option for Hull City to purchase his rights at the end of the 2009–10 season for a fee believed to be £6.5 million ($11 million).

On August 10, 2009, Hull City announced that they were successful in obtaining a work permit for Altidore.^[15] Altidore made his debut for Hull on August 22, 2009, coming on as a second-half substitute against Bolton. He provided the assist for Kamel Ghilas to score the only goal in a 1–0 home victory at the KC Stadium.^[16] On August 25, 2009, Altidore scored his first goal for Hull in a 3–1 win over Southend United in the second round of the League Cup.^[17] Altidore was popular with supporters but struggled to make a lasting impact with the Tigers as his finishing was often found wanting, however he did manage to score his first and only Premier League goal in the 2–1 home win over Manchester City on the 6th February.^[18] On 24 April, in an important game for Hull City's Premier League survival, he was dismissed for violent conduct after a spat with Sunderland's Alan Hutton who was also sent off. Hull City lost 1–0 and were all but relegated from the top flight.^[19]

Return to Villarreal[link]

On August 19, 2010, Altidore returned to competitive action for Villarreal, coming on in the 74th minute of their third qualifying round match of the Europa League.

Bursaspor[link]

On January 31, 2011, Altidore was loaned out to Turkish champions Bursaspor on a six-month loan.^[20] On Friday April 8, Altidore scored his first goal for his new club in a 3-2 home loss to Antalyaspor.^[21]

AZ[link]

On July 15, 2011, Altidore agreed to terms with Dutch side AZ Alkmaar.^[22] On 7 August, Altidore made his debut for the club as a second half substitute against PSV Eindhoven. Altidore scored in the 80th minute, helping his new side to a 3-1 opening day win.^[23] Altidore was again used as a sub in the club's next Eredivisie game as AZ fell 2-0 to FC Twente.^[24] Altidore made his first start in the league for AZ on 21 August, when they played host to NEC Nijmegen at the AFAS Stadion. After a goalless first-half, Altidore opened the scoring in the 54th minute, pouncing on the rebound after NEC goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen saved his header. Altidore scored again nineteen minutes later after some nice passing with Adam Maher and AZ ran out 4-0 winners.^[25]

On August 25, Altidore started in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League final qualifying match against Aalesunds FK from Norway. Before being substituted in the 63rd minute by Charlison Benschop, Altidore scored twice.^[26] His first goal in the 23nd minute gave AZ Alkmaar a 2-0 lead and his second goal in the 59th minute brought the score to 4-0 in a game AZ eventually won by 6-0.^[27] Altidore added to his Europa League account when he opened the scoring in the 21st minute of his side's first group match against Malmo FF on 15 September.^[28] After a long wait Altidore returned to the score sheet for AZ, netting in the 83rd minute of a 3-0 victory over ADO Den Haag on 6 November that also secured his side's 10th victory of the Eredivisie campaign.^[29] On December 4, Altidore scored his side's only goal in a 5-1 loss to Heerenveen.^[30] Altidore had to wait until 8 February 2012 to score his next league goal, grabbing a brace in a 6-0 win over ADO Den Haag.^[31] The result put AZ level on points with PSV at the top of the table.^[32]

Altidore headed in the winning goal against VVV Venlo on Sunday 22 April to keep AZ second in the table and their title hopes still alive.^[33]

International career[link]

Altidore with the national team in Amsterdam for a friendly game against the Netherlands.

Altidore has played for the United States national team at almost every level. Altidore attended the Bradenton Academy as a member of the United States U-17 national team, and was part of the squad at the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship, appearing as a substitute in the United States' 3–1 win over Italy and 2–0 loss to the Netherlands. He also played for the United States U-20 national team in its successful qualification to the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. During the group stage of the U-20 World Cup, Altidore tallied three goals, including two in the 2–1 win over Brazil, helping the Americans to advance at the top of group D. In the quarterfinals, Altidore scored a goal in the first half against Austria. Altidore led the U.S. with 4 goals in the tournament.

On November 17, 2007, Altidore received his first call-up to the full United States national team for a friendly against South Africa just eleven days after his eighteenth birthday. He came in as a sub in the 65th minute. In his second match, against Sweden, Altidore was again a second-half substitute, winning a penalty that Landon Donovan converted to break Eric Wynalda's record of 34 national team goals. On February 6, 2008, in a friendly versus Mexico, Altidore made his first start for the national team where he also scored his first goal.

In July 2008, Altidore was named to Piotr Nowak's United States U-23 national team roster that qualified for and competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. On August 10, 2008, he scored against the Netherlands to put the U.S. in front after coming on as a substitute.

Altidore scored his second senior international and first World Cup Qualifying goal on October 11, 2008, in a 6–1 victory over Cuba. He started in his first World Cup Qualifier on October 15, 2008 against Trinidad and Tobago, and set up Charlie Davies's second half goal, but later fouled a player in the penalty area leading to Dwight Yorke's game winner. He made amends in the next game by assisting Kenny Cooper's goal and drawing the foul that led to Freddy Adu's first international goal.

On March 28, 2009, Altidore scored his first away goal in World Cup Qualifying in the 2–2 draw with El Salvador. On April 1, 2009, Altidore scored three goals in a 3–0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago, making Altidore the youngest American to score a hat-trick in an international game.^[34]

On June 24, 2009, Altidore scored in the semi-final of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup against Spain, turning club teammate Joan Capdevilla to get a clear shot on Iker Casillas' goal. The U.S. went on to defeat the Spanish team, 2–0.^[4] The following summer he appeared in every match the team played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. No American forwards managed to score in the tournament, but Altidore played a major part, getting an assist on Michael Bradley's game-tying goal against Slovenia and putting a pass into the 6 yard box against Algeria that ultimately resulted in the game winning goal by Landon Donovan.

Altidore played a key role in the group stage of the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, scoring the first U.S. goal of the tournament against Canada and later scoring the only goal that saw the defeat of Guadeloupe. In the early minutes of the quarterfinal match against Jamaica, Altidore had to be removed from the game with a pulled hamstring. He missed the remainder of the Gold Cup.^[35]

International goals[link]

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
01.	February 6, 2008	Reliant Stadium, Houston, USA	Mexico	2 – 1	2 – 2	Friendly
02.	October 11, 2008	RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C., USA	Cuba	5 – 1	6 – 1	Q 2010 World Cup
03.	March 28, 2009	Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador	El Salvador	1 – 2	2 – 2	Q 2010 World Cup
04.	April 1, 2009	LP Field, Nashville, USA	Trinidad and Tobago	1 – 0	3 – 0	Q 2010 World Cup
05.				2 – 0
06.				3 – 0
07.	June 24, 2009	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein, South Africa	Spain	1 – 0	2 – 0	2009 Confederations Cup
08.	September 5, 2009	Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, USA	El Salvador	2 – 1	2 – 1	Q 2010 World Cup
09.	May 29, 2010	Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, USA	Turkey	1 – 1	2 – 1	Friendly
10.	October 9, 2010	Soldier Field, Chicago, USA	Poland	1 – 0	2 – 2	Friendly
11.	June 7, 2011	Ford Field, Detroit, USA	Canada	1 – 0	2 – 0	2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
12.	June 14, 2011	Livestrong Sporting Park, Kansas City, USA	Guadeloupe	1 – 0	1 – 0	2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
13.	November 15, 2011	Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia	Slovenia	3 – 1	3 – 2	Friendly

Career statistics[link]

As of 22 April 2012

Personal[link]

In 2007, Altidore was a candidate for ESPN's Next Award and is one of the stars featured in Adidas' "Impossible is Nothing" advertisements. Altidore is featured on the cover of the North American version of FIFA 08 by EA Sports, alongside Ronaldinho and Guillermo Ochoa.^[36]

In November 2006 he, along with New York Red Bulls teammates Seth Stammler and fellow Haitian-American Jerrod Laventure, accompanied Haitian-born Grammy Award winning musician Wyclef Jean on a six-day service trip to Haiti for Jean's charitable organization, Yéle Haiti. Jean also wore Altidore's #17 jersey during a halftime performance with Shakira at the Red Bulls home opener.

Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Altidore joined the relief effort by asking people to donate to Yéle Haiti.^[37] He appeared on CNN to discuss his family members still living in Haiti and to encourage people to give money.^[38]

References[link]