Tuesday Trivia

Last week's question:

Dwyane Wade dealt Kobe Bryant a particularly hard foul during the NBA All Star game actually drawing blood and breaking Bryant's nose. The foul was one of four Wade picked up in the game. Who was the last player to actually foul out of an All Star Game? Yes, it has happened.

Answer:

Photo Credit: bucks-cards.com

25 years ago, back when he was still just Akeem Olajuwon and not Hakeem Olajuwon, the Houston Rockets' center fouled out of the 1987 All-Star Game. The game did go into overtime, but Olajuwon only played 26 minutes. Still, 'The Dream' isn't the only player to foul out of an all star game. Heck, a couple of Hall of Famers actually did it TWICE. The other offenders:

Rick Barry - 1978
Willis Reed - 1970
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 1970
Rick Barry - 1966
Bill Russell - 1965
Johnny Green - 1965
Walt Bellamy - 1962
Richie Guerin - 1962
Bob Cousy - 1961
Dolph Schayes - 1959
Paul Arizin - 1956
Bob Cousy - 1956
Bill Sharman - 1956
Bobby Wanzer - 1954

This week's question:

Photo Credit: bucyrustelegraphforum.com

When Japan shut out the U.S. Women's Soccer Team 1-0 yesterday it marked the first time that the U.S. had failed to score a goal since a scoreless draw with Korea back in 2008, a span of 57 matches. Only two women started both of those games for the United States. Who are they?

Top Tens - 3/6/12

NHL POINTS LEADERS

1. Evgeni Malkin - Pittsburgh - 81
2. Steven Stamkos - Tampa Bay - 80
3. Claude Giroux - Philadelphia - 75
4. Jason Spezza - Ottawa - 72
5. Phil Kessel - Toronto - 68
6. Joffrey Lupul - Toronto - 66
6. Henrik Sedin - Vancouver - 66
6. Erik Karlsson - Ottawa - 66
9. Daniel Sedin - Vancouver - 64
9. Marian Hossa - Chicago - 64



NHL TOP GOAL SCORERS

1. Steven Stamkos - Tampa Bay - 47
2. Evgeni Malkin - Pittsburgh - 38
3. Corey Perry - Anaheim - 33
4. Phil Kessel - Toronto - 32
4. Marion Gaborik - Rangers - 32
6. Scott Hartnell - Philadelphia - 31
7. James Neal - Pittsburgh - 30
7. Radim Vrbata - Phoenix - 30
9. Jordan Eberle - Edmonton - 29
9. Jonathan Toews - Chicago - 29
9. Milan Michalek - Ottawa - 29



FIFA MEN'S RANKINGS (2/15/12)

1. SPAIN
2. GERMANY
3. NETHERLANDS
4. URUGUAY
5. ENGLAND
6. PORTUGAL
7. BRAZIL
8. ITALY
9. CROATIA
10. DENMARK


OUT: ARGENTINA (11)



FIFA WOMEN'S RANKINGS (12/23/11)

1. USA
2. GERMANY
3. JAPAN
4. BRAZIL
5. SWEDEN
6. FRANCE
7. CANADA
8. ENGLAND
9. KOREA DPR
10. AUSTRALIA



NCAA MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL RANKINGS - AP Top 25
(Records through Sunday Night's Games)
*ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll in Parentheses

1. Kentucky 30-1 (1)
2. Syracuse 30-1 (2)
3. Kansas 26-5 (3)
4. North Carolina 27-4 (4)
5. Missouri 27-4 (5)
6. Duke 26-5 (6)
7. Ohio State 25-6 (7)
8. Michigan State 24-7 (8)
9. Marquette 25-6 (9)
10. Michigan 23-8 (13) 



NCAA WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL RANKINGS - AP Top 25
(Records through Sunday Night's Games)

1. Baylor 31-0
2. Stanford 28-1
3. Notre Dame 29-2
4. Connecticut 27-4
5. Maryland 28-4
6. Duke 24-5
7. Delaware 27-1
8. Miami (FL) 25-5
9. Tennessee 24-8
10. Green Bay 27-1



MEN'S TENNIS RANKINGS (3/5/12)

1. Novak Djokovic (Serbia) - 13310 points
2. Rafael Nadal (Spain) - 10415 points
3. Roger Federer (Switzerland) - 8710 points
4. Andy Murray (Great Britain) - 7450 points
5. David Ferrer (Spain) - 4665 points
6. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) - 4455 points
7. Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) - 3860 points
8. Mardy Fish (USA) - 2875 points
9. Juan Martin del Potro (Argentina) - 2840 points
10. Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia) - 2710 points



WOMEN'S TENNIS RANKINGS (3/5/12)

1. Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) - 8980 points
2. Maria Sharapova (Russia) - 7680 points
3. Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) - 7095 points
4. Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) - 6270 points
5. Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) - 5850 points
6. Samantha Stosur (Australia) - 5825 points
7. Marion Bartoli (France) - 5160 points
8. Li Na (China) - 4390 points
9. Vera Zvonareva (Russia) - 4340 points
10. Andrea Petkovic (Germany) - 3810 points



ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE LEADING SCORERS

1. Robin Van Persie (Netherlands) - Arsenal - 25
2. Wayne Rooney (England) - Manchester United - 18
3. Demba Ba (Senegal) - Newcastle United - 16
3. Sergio Agüero (Argentina) - Manchester City - 16
5. Yakubu Aiyegbeni (Nigeria) - Blackburn Rovers - 13
5. Edin Dzeko (Bosnia-Herzegovina) - Manchester City - 13
7. Clint Dempsey (USA) - Fulham - 12
8. Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo) - Tottenham Hotspur - 11
8. Mario Balotelli (Italy) - Manchester City - 11
10. 4 players tied with - 10



LA LIGA (SPAIN) LEADING SCORERS

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) - Real Madrid -30
2. Lionel Messi (Argentina) - Barcelona - 28
3. Gonzalo Higuaín (Argentina) - Real Madrid - 16
4. Falcao (Colombia) - Atlético Madrid - 15
5. Karim Benzema (France) - Real Madrid - 13
5. Fernando Llorente (Spain) - Athletico Bilbao - 13
5. Miguel Pérez Cuesta (Spain) - R. Vallecano - 13 
8. Roberto Soldado (Spain) - Valencia - 12
9. 4 players tied with - 9



SERIE A (ITALY) LEADING SCORERS

1. Antonio Di Natale (Italy) - Udinese - 18
1. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden) - AC Milan - 18
3. Edinson Cavani (Uruguay) - Napoli - 16
4. Germán Denis (Argentina) - Atalanta - 15
5. Rodrigo Palacio (Argentina) - Genoa - 14
6. Miroslav Klose (Germany) - Lazio - 13
6. Diego Milito (Argentina) - Internazionale - 13
8. Stevan Jovetic (Montenegro) - Fiorentina - 12
9. Fabrizio Miccoli (Italy) - Palermo - 11
9. Emanuele Calaiò (Italy) - Siena - 11



GERMAN BUNDESLIGA LEADING SCORERS

1. Mario Gomez (Germany) - Bayern Munich - 18
1. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Neth.) - Schalke 04 - 18
3. Robert Lewandowski (Pol.) - B. Dortmund - 16
3. Lukas Podolski (Germany) - FC Cologne - 16
5. Claudio Pizarro (Peru) - Werder Bremen - 15
6. Martin Harnik (Austria) - VfB Stuttgart - 14
7. Marco Reus (Ger.) - B. Monchengladbach - 13
8. Mohammed Abdellaoue (Norway) - Hannover 96 - 11
8. Raúl (Spain) - Schalke 04 - 11
10. Franck Ribéry (France) - Bayern Munich - 10



NBA LEADING SCORERS (points per game)

1. Kobe Bryant - Lakers - 28.9
2. Kevin Durant - OKC - 28.1
3. LeBron James - Miami - 27.8
4. Kevin Love - Minnesota - 25.4
5. Russell Westbrook - OKC - 23.7
6. Dwyane Wade - Miami - 22.9
7. Deron Williams - New Jersey - 22.6
8. Monta Ellis - Golden State - 22.2
9. LaMarcus Aldridge - Portland - 21.6
10. Blake Griffin - Clippers - 21.2



NBA LEADING REBOUNDERS (per game)

1. Dwight Howard - Orlando - 14.9
2. Kevin Love - Minnesota - 13.7
3. Andrew Bynum - Lakers - 12.8
4. DeMarcus Cousins - Sacramento - 11.4
5. Blake Griffin - Clippers - 11.1
6. Marcin Gortat - Phoenix - 10.6
7. Kris Humphries - New Jersey - 10.6
8. Joakim Noah - Chicago - 10.4
9. Pau Gasol - Lakers - 10.4
10. Greg Monroe - Detroit - 10.1



NBA ASSIST LEADERS (per game)

1. Steve Nash - Phoenix - 10.9
2. Rajon Rondo - Boston - 10.2
3. Jose Calderon - Toronto - 8.6
4. Chris Paul - New Orleans - 8.3
5. Ricky Rubio - Minnesota - 8.3
6. Deron Williams - New Jersey - 8.2
7. Tony Parker - San Antonio - 7.9
8. John Wall - Washington - 7.8
9. Derrick Rose - Chicago - 7.7
10. Kyle Lowry - Houston - 7.3



2012 FEDEX CUP STANDINGS

1. Kyle Stanley (USA) - 935
2. Johnson Wagner (USA) - 860
3. Mark Wilson (USA) - 840
4. Rory McIlory (Northern Ireland) - 815
5. Phil Mickelson (USA) - 807
6. Bill Haas (USA) - 752
7. Hunter Mahan (USA) - 742
8. Brandt Snedeker (USA) - 716
9. Steve Stricker (USA) - 598
10. Keegan Bradley (USA) - 563


Out: Ben Crane (11)



WORLD GOLF RANKINGS (3/4/12)

1. Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland)
2. Luke Donald (England)
3. Lee Westwood (England)
4. Martin Kaymer (Germany)
5. Steve Stricker (USA)
6. Webb Simpson (USA)
7. Jason Day (Australia)
8. Dustin Johnson (USA)
9. Charl Schwartzel (South Africa)
10. Hunter Mahan (USA)



Photo Credits (in order of appearance):


zimbio.com
zimbio.com
justsoccerjerseys.com 
palmbeachpost.com 
sports.desktopnexus.com
bleacherreport.com 
tennisnow.com
zimbio.com
zimbio.com
zimbio.com
zimbio.com
zimbio.com
zimbio.com
zimbio.com 
zimbio.com
armchairgolfblog.blogspot.com
inquisitr.com

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Monday Mailbag

The recent birth of my first child, Lily, has gotten me thinking the important questions that fathers think: when can we start practice (age)? What sports should she play (or should I force her to play!)? Right-handed, left-handed, or ambidextrous? I did a little bit of google searching and found that of the top 10 highest paid female athletes, five play tennis, three play golf, one is a race car driver, and one is a figure skater. I want to go with tennis or golf, especially since I prefer her NOT to be a "go-daddy-girl". I'm not suggesting that I intend to exploit her, but hey, I love her, and I also love sports. I'll ease off the pressure when she gets a brother! - Big Daddy, Parts Unknown

First off, congratulations on the birth of your first child, that's awesome. Now, as far as her future in sports goes... I think when you start her depends on what's available to you guys. You can get kids involved in swimming lessons pretty early, some gymnastics programs start really young, and I know they make ice skates for little kids... Beyond that, unless you're in China or the former Soviet Union you can probably hold off on really pushing sports until they're in school. I mean by all means expose them to stuff when they're little; baseball glove, golf clubs, basketball, soccer ball, tennis racket, etc. But you're probably wasting your time trying to coach the intricacies of a 3-2 zone to a 4 year old.

Photo Credit: soccer-answers.com

Anyhow, once they're in school I think you let get them into everything: t-ball, soccer, tennis lessons, swim team... Let them play and participate in as much as possible and figure out what they like to do and what they're good at. And most importantly, make sure she's having fun. You can live vicariously through her all you want, but she needs to be doing what she enjoys, and not just what you want her to enjoy.

As far as left-handed/right-handed goes, I think baseball's really the only sport that truly favors left-handers. So unless lefty relievers become all the rage in softball someday, I'd say go with whatever's natural. However, if she does end up leaning towards a sport like soccer or basketball, I'd say get her using that off-hand or off-foot early, because that'll pay big dividends down the road.

Ultimately, as long as you have her active and involved, you never know what doors will open up. One of my sisters played soccer all through high school, and then went on to become a Second-Team All American rugby player in college with two National Championships. True story.

Which sport/sports produce the BEST athletes? - Garrett M., Boston, MA

Hahah, oh good an easy one... I don't know that I can narrow this down to just one without opening myself up to a substantial amount of criticism, but I'll give you three that it would be worth having a debate on.

Basketball Players - Ok, so I ruled out baseball because of two words: David Wells. I ruled out hockey because just because you're amazing on skates doesn't mean you can do anything without them. Soccer players are tempting to put on here, but ultimately it's more a finesse game than a power game. I played 4 years of college soccer and never once lifted a weight. So it comes down to basketball and football. I'll grant that football requires a toughness that basketball doesn't, but when it comes down to pure athleticism, I give basketball the edge over football. A lot of that has to do with the emergence of the new-age tight end. Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham were all basically basketball washouts. Big, fast, strong, good hands, good footwork, great leapers... Nobody in football can cover these guys and they've changed the way the game is played. You've got these guys on the defensive side of the ball as well. Think Julius Peppers, formerly a basketball player at North Carolina. When you consider that there are bigger, faster, stronger players in the NBA who jump higher and are more athletically gifted than the guys who made it in the NFL (i.e. LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose etc.), I think you have to give the edge to basketball players.

Photo Credit: zimbio.com

Water Polo Players - Treading water is not easy. Now add in treading water while fighting off other swimmers while running basketball plays in a pool without drowning.

Photo Credit: zimbio.com

Wrestlers/Boxers/Ultimate Fighters - If you have never sparred with anybody for a 3 minute round, you have no idea how physically demanding these sports are.

Photo Credit: findfreegraphics.com

In the pros, when can a player enter the key during a free throw... I thought I knew the rule... - Garrett M., Boston, MA

Photo Credit: findfreegraphics.com

Ok, as far as I can tell here's the rule: "When a player attempts a free throw, none of the players lined up along the free throw lane may enter the lane until the ball leaves the shooter's hands. If a defensive player jumps into the lane early, the shooter receives another shot if his shot misses. An offensive player entering the lane too early nullifies the shot if it is made." So I don't know what we've got going on in the picture above. Those dudes are like halfway into the lane and the ball hasn't left the shooter's hands yet.




The Saints have yet to sign Drew Brees to a long term deal. What kind of numbers is it gonna take to make sure he doesn't test the free agency waters? - Cory L., Raceland, LA

Photo Credit: whodatdish.com

Bottom line? It sounds like it's going to take Peyton Manning-esque dollar figures to make this deal happen. From what I've heard, the two sides are about $5M apart with the Saints coming in at $18M/year with Brees looking to be in the ballpark of the $23M/year that Manning signed for. Now, throwing out the debate of whether or not ANY athlete deserves that kind of money, it's hard to justify not paying Brees. When you look at what he's done for the Saints franchise and the New Orleans community following Hurricane Katrina, and you see how his numbers stack up with his peers (his 28,394 passing yards since joining New Orleans in 2006 are the most in the NFL), how can you say he doesn't deserve to be among the highest paid players at his position? And now that the Saints were unable to reach a deal with Brees and were forced to franchise him they risk losing Marques Colston and Pro Bowl guard Carl Nicks to free agency. Add in Bounty-Gate and the Saints are not having a very good offseason so far.

Klinsmann seems to pick a lot of guys that play in the Bundesliga. Is that just his personal preference because he himself is German? Or is that just where the majority of Americans are playing overseas? - Cory L., Raceland, LA

Photo Credit: shop.sportsworldcards.com

I think it's a combination of things. Part of it is the fact that he's German, and because of that he has a lot of connections in Germany and I would imagine his scouting network over there is very extensive. As a result he's able to get detailed reports on these guys which he might not have access to for say Bryan Gerzicich over in Israel. But there's also a number of American field players (i.e. not just goalies) playing in Germany and playing very well: Timmy Chandler, Steve Cherundolo, Jermaine Jones, Terrence Boyd, Joe Gyau, Fabian Johnson, Danny Williams, Alfredo Morales... If you look around the other top European leagues we don't have an abundance of position players in any of them. Dempsey's the only superstar field player in the Premier League although Zak Whitbread and Tim Ream are worth mentioning, Bradley's the only name that comes to mind in Italy, there's no one in Spain, Altidore's the only one in the Netherlands and Charlie Davies is the biggest name in France. Then you start getting into your next tier of leagues (Scotland, Portugal, Belgium, Norway, Denmark, etc) where we have a little more of a presence. So while I'm sure Klinsmann's German heritage is part of it, as far as Europe's top leagues go, Germany is also where the bulk of our boys are.


We're entering the final stretch of the EPL season. Can Man U. catch Man City? - Cory L., Raceland, LA

Photo Credit: fanpop.com

Yes, City is only 2 points clear with 11 games to go so the title is far from being decided. Let's take a closer look at both club's schedules the rest of the way though:

As long as things stay the way they are, the season could come down to that April 30th derby. United needs to keep winning though because if they fall any farther behind they're in real trouble.


Chelsea just fired their manager(shocker, I know). Who do you see them going after to replace him and can all this manager- swapping possibly be good for a team that's supposed to be competing for titles every year? - Cory L., Raceland, LA

The firing of Andre Villas-Boas means that Chelsea is looking at their 8th manager in 9 years. Russian owner Roman Abramovich has made it clear that the Champions League is his top priority and he wants someone who can deliver success immediately. As far as who that might be? It's hard to say. Abramovich's quick hook with his past managers can't make him an ideal guy to work for so it'll be interesting to see who's up for the challenge of both bringing Chelsea back to prominence and dealing with the erratic Russian. In the meantime assistant coach Roberto Di Matteo, a former Chelsea player and West Bromwich Albion manager, will take charge of the Blues until the end of the season.

Photo Credit: dailymail.co.uk

That concludes this week's mailbag. As always a special thanks to those of you who wrote in. Couldn't have done it without your questions. Got a question for the mailbag? Email us at smittysports.blogspot@hotmail.com. 

Deron Williams Goes for 57

With just 12 wins on the year, the New Jersey Nets haven't had a lot to feel good about. Tonight was a different story though. Point guard Deron Williams scored a franchise record 57 points as the Nets rallied from a 16 point deficit to beat the hapless Charlotte Bobcats 104-101. Williams broke the Nets old scoring record of 52 shared by Mike Newlin and Ray Williams thanks to a 40 points second half. Williams' 57 points is the most scored by an NBA player this season, and his perfect 21 for 21 free throw shooting gives him the most made free throws without a miss in a 50 point game in NBA history.

Photo Credit: nydailynews.com

Here's a look at how Williams game went by quarter:

The struggling Bobcats are now just 4-31 on the year and have won just once in their last 22 games.

Sunday Six Pack

ABSOLUTELY RONDICULOUS

Photo Credit: espn.go.com

18 points. 17 rebounds. 20 assists. Rajon Rondo tallied his second triple double of the week, and an absurd one at that, as the Celtics squandered a 15 point lead and then rallied for an overtime victory over the New York Knicks today by a score of 115-111. Rondo now has 4 triple doubles on the year while the rest of the league has combined for only six. Jeremy Lin finished with 14 points and 5 assists, but turned the ball over 6 times in the loss.

DOUBLE DEUCE ACTION

Photo Credit: mlssoccer.com

Jozy Altidore may be enjoying a nice little run, but no American is enjoying greater success in Europe this year than Clint Dempsey. The American winger netted 2 more goals in today's Premier League match with Wolverhampton giving him 12 in league play and 18 across all competitions for the Cottagers. Pavel Pogrebnyak added a hat trick as Fulham cruised to a 5-0 win, its third in a row. Fulham now sits in 8th place in the Premier League.

KOBE GETS HIS REVENGE ON WADE

Photo Credit: thestar.com

Sometimes, the best place to hurt someone is on the scoreboard. There was no retaliation for Dwyane Wade's hard foul on Kobe Bryant in the All-Star Game, but the Lakers took it to the Miami Heat today winning 93-83. Bryant, still donning the mask, led all players with 33 points while Wade had a forgettable day fouling out midway through the 4th quarter after turning the ball over 5 times. The Heat clearly missed Chris Bosh, who hasn't played since the All-Star Game following a death in his family. Bosh's replacements, Udonis Haslem and Juwan Howard, missed all 10 of their field goal attempts in the loss.

USA WOMEN'S U-20s CRUISE TO SECOND STRAIGHT 6-0 VICTORY

Photo Credit: ussoccer.com

The U.S. Women's U-20s clinched a spot in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Under-20 Women's Championships today with a second straight 6-0 victory. This time the victim was Cuba as the U.S. wasted little time in getting after their Caribbean opponents taking the lead less than 5 minutes into the match on a goal by Wake Forest sophomore Katie Stengel. Stengel, the reigning ACC Offensive Player of the Year, and Penn State sophomore Maya Hayes, the nation's leading scorer in 2011 with 31 goals, each scored twice in the first half as the U.S. was in control from the start. Vanessa DiBernardo (Illinois) and Chi Ubogagu (Stanford) each added goals after the intermission to complete the rout. The U.S. now gets ready to take on host nation Panama on Tuesday with first place in Group B on the line. Panama defeated Guatemala 3-1 tonight to also improve to 2-0 in the tournament.

STRASBURG DEBUT

Photo Credit: usatoday.com

Washington Nationals phenom Stephen Strasburg took the mound for the first time in 2012 and worked a solid 2 2/3 innings against the Houston Astros in his spring debut. Showing no ill signs of his 2010 Tommy John surgery, Strasburg threw 44 pitches, 26 of them for strikes, and while he was somewhat unhappy with the locating of his offspeed pitches, overall he should be pleased with the results. The only real mistake he made was a 3-1 "hit-me-fastball" to Chris Snyder who deposited it well beyond the left field fence. And now my Astros are 2-0 on the spring!! Hey, we're probably go lose close to 100 games again this year; I've got to get excited about the things that I can.

NEW GOLF NUMBER ONE

Photo Credit: dailymail.co.uk

22 year old Rory McIlroy won the Honda Classic today and took over the number one ranking the world from England's Luke Donald. Donald had held the spot for the past 40 weeks, but now that honor goes to the reigning U.S. Open Champion from Northern Ireland. McIlroy had to sustain Tiger Woods shooting an 8-under-par 62 six groups ahead of him, but was able to hold on for the 2 shot win. 

U-20 WNT Highlights vs Guatemala - Mar 2, 2012

The U.S. Women's U-20s destroyed Guatemala in their first match of the CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championships yesterday by a score of 6-0. We posted the summary earlier, now here are the highlights:

Lindsey Horan and company are back in action tomorrow when they take on Cuba. The Cubans lost their opener to Panama by a score of 2-1.

Over in the other group both Canada and Mexico improved to 2-0 today with wins over Jamaica and Haiti respectively. Mexico got a hat trick from Natalia Gómez-Junco in their 10-0 win over Haiti. Gómez-Junco, who has 4 goals in the tournament to lead all scorers, is finishing up her freshman year at the University of Memphis. She scored 8 goals in her first year with the Tigers. Memphis went 22-1-1 and didn't lose until the 2nd Round of the NCAA Tournament when they were defeated 2-0 by Louisville. The 22 wins were a school record and the Tigers earned their first ever NCAA Tournament Win.

Photo Credit: gotigersgo.com

 Mexico and Canada will play Monday with both teams already assured a berth in the semifinals.

Altidore Caps Off Sensational Week With Another Goal

What a week it's been for Jozy Altidore:

Photo Credit: goal.blogs.nytimes.com/

*He started for AZ Alkmaar for the first time in 2012 on Sunday and netted a brace in a 3-3 draw with Heerenveen.

*On Wednesday he assisted on Clint Dempsey's goal against Italy for the U.S.'s first ever win over the Italians.

*And finally today, he started for AZ once again, and again found the back of the net for his 10th goal in league play and 14th goal across all competitions.

Altidore, still just 22 years old, has really made the most of the move to his Dutch club after struggling to catch on anywhere after leaving the U.S. and Major League Soccer at the age of 18. With stints in Spain, England and Turkey under his belt, Altidore finally appears to have found his niche in the Netherlands. While it's true the Eredivisie isn't exactly known for its defense, the important thing is that he's getting an opportunity to play and with his scoring he is continuing to build confidence. We saw what that can mean for the U.S. on Wednesday against the Italians and if you're a U.S. fan you have to be excited for what's to come with World Cup Qualifying mere months away.

Altidore and AZ are in action on Thursday this week in the Europa League Round of 16 where they'll take on Udinese, currently in 3rd place in Serie A.