Jozy Altidore sidelined 4-to-5 weeks with hamstring injury

TORONTO (AP) — Toronto says Jozy Altidore will be sidelined for four-to-five weeks because of a strained right hamstring, an injury that will cause the forward to miss the U.S. national team's exhibition games at the Netherlands and Germany next month.

Altidore left Saturday's 1-1 tie at New England in the 21st minute after he pulled up while running at the goal. Toronto announced the diagnosis Tuesday.

Altidore, 25, injured his left hamstring in the Americans' World Cup opener against Ghana last year and was sidelined for the remainder of the tournament. He also hurt his left hamstring in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinal against Jamaica and missed the win over Panama in the semifinals and the loss to Mexico in the final.

The Americans open this year's Gold Cup against Honduras on July 7. Teams are allowed to make six changes to their 23-man rosters ahead of the quarterfinals on July 18 and 19.

"The concern is if he's not 100 percent healthy that maybe he doesn't go to the Gold Cup," Toronto coach Greg Vanney said. "But I don't want to take up that battle just yet."

Altidore leads Toronto with five goals in eight Major League Soccer starts and has six goals in nine games in all club competitions this year.

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