BRADENTON, FLA.

The Northern Echo’s Paul Fraser remembers the ridicule Sunderland fans gave Jozy Altidore during a pre-season trip to Portugal last June.

“All of the first-team squad sat in the stands watching Sunderland’s youth team play a friendly,” Fraser told the Toronto Sun. “Throughout the game, the fans chanted songs in the direction of the onlooking players.”

According to Fraser, one of the chants was aimed at Altidore, who had just a single Premier League goal to his name.

This after former Sunderland bench boss Paulo Di Canio, who was sacked shortly after signing Altidore, described the 25-year-old U.S. international as one of the “top strikers in Europe” — something that made fans’ chants ring out more loudly.

“When Jozy scores, we’re on the pitch,’ was one (of the chants) aimed in his direction,” Fraser recalled.

It was an obvious exaggeration meant to pester Toronto FC’s newest striker, who didn’t produce in the Premier League the way he’d hoped to.

In a one-on-one chit chat with the Toronto Sun Sunday afternoon, Altidore offered up a simple explanation when asked to address one of the most difficult years of his career.

“The hardest part about Sunderland was that there was an idea when I joined the club and an expectation,” he said at TFC’s ocean-side hotel in Sarasota. “But that got thrown out the window after a month.”

Altidore’s biggest backer, Di Canio, was replaced by current Sunderland manager Gus Poyet a few weeks after the American arrived at the Stadium of Light.

“The people suffering most were the fans,” Altidore said. “It wasn’t a fun time for anyone.”

Long story short, Sunderland’s fans never got a chance to rush the pitch. And Altidore was looking for a move away from Wearside by winter.

“There were a lot of options,” Altidore said. “People were saying I was forced to Toronto or something like that. I just thought at this point in my life it was something that I was ready to do.

“I was ready for the public opinion and backlash. The project they have here excited me the most.”

Even more than the plethora of opportunities he had on Europe’s mainland.

Altidore explained why he chose Toronto FC over four German clubs, two French sides, two Italian teams and a potential loan move within the Premier League.

“The challenge of Toronto excited me,” he explained.

The money — roughly $25 million over five seasons — wasn’t bad either.

“It was about the opportunity to turn around a club that, let’s face it, hasn’t had a lot of success since coming into the league,” Altidore continued. “That whole project excited me.”

Before then, potentially returning to MLS was little more than a joke between friends.

Prior to last summer’s World Cup, Altidore and Michael Bradley discussed a potential move that would have seen the U.S. striker pair with Jermain Defoe.

“We joked about it,” Altidore admitted. “Me coming to play with Defoe. That was the whole idea. That would excite anybody.”

Little did he know he’d be paired with Defoe in a much different way months later when the Reds sent the Englishman to Sunderland in return for Altidore and cash considerations.

Just like that, what started as a bit of a laugh had manifested itself.

And Altidore pointed to the club’s vision as being the deciding factor in accepting the transfer.

“When I saw the plans of the club (I knew),” Altidore said. “Everything from the DPs to how they want the team to play to even the stadium renovations. It was a message they are here for the long run. They are in it to create something special.

“There’s a plan of getting three DPs young who can be on the team for a long time. The fact TFC hasn’t had success made it a very good challenge. I’m putting myself on the line a bit, but the rewards could be much bigger than the risks.”

Although he believes teammate Sebastian Giovinco is Defoe’s “replacement,” Altidore will undoubtedly be compared to the player he was swapped for — something that “comes with the territory,” Altidore added.

Informed of Gilberto’s 25-goal prediction last season, Altidore wouldn’t make any performance promises.

He did, however, ask to be reminded how many goals Toronto’s on-loan Brazilian scored.

“Seven,” a nearby TFC official chimed in.

“Goals are a funny thing,” Altidore replied. “It always depends how the team is performing. If we can get to a place where we’re playing the way we want to play I think the goals will flow.

“I’m not going to sit here and tell you 30 goals. It depends on how we perform as a group.”

Toronto FC’s top brass would likely settle for 20. The club’s front office — along with many around the league — believe Altidore could very well tear this league up.

He already did it in the Netherlands, scoring 39 times in 67 appearances for AZ Alkmaar.

He has scored in one of the biggest competitions in the world: The Confederations Cup.

“Yeah, I didn’t even think of that,” Altidore said with a laugh after being asked to pinpoint his biggest tallies.

Altidore scored the opener in a 2-0 semifinal upset of Spain at the 2009 global tournament.

“Just because the magnitude,” he said of that goal. “Spain hadn’t lost in so long … That was pretty special.”

The special moments, Altidore hopes, will resume upon returning to North America after setting sail for Europe as a teenager in 2008.

“When I was with New York Red Bulls — at 16 years old — I was already one of the best players on the team,” Altidore said. “You look here, the level is different. The intensity of training is different. My first day of training with TFC I was surprised.

“Ask Michael (Bradley). I keep telling him MLS is the best kept secret in the world.”

Off the field, TFC’s new high-priced commodity says he couldn’t be happier. Although he admits he hasn’t had much time to scope things out following an off-season that has included national team friendlies in Chile and Los Angeles.

And that’s not set to change with the Reds on an extended, seven-game road trip to start the season two weekends from now.

“It’s a beautiful city,” Altidore said of Toronto. “Really multicultural. I haven’t had a chance to do much. But I was talking to Seba (Giovinco) and we’re going to enjoy this place.”

“I asked people outside Toronto about TFC. Everyone was positive about how it was run. It just needed the final product on the field.”

If he helps provide that, he won’t have to worry about fans travelling cross-continent just to heckle him.

He has a chance to become a club legend if all goes as planned.

FOND MEMORIES OF FLORIDA

Jozy Altidore admitted it was “good to be back” where it all started.

The 25-year-old was once a member of the U.S. Soccer residency program that brings the best under-17 players in the country together at the IMG Academy in Bradenton.

Some the Major League Soccer’s top players — Landon Donovan, Omar Gonzalez, Kyle Beckerman and Michael Bradley — have come through the country’s youth development system down here.

“It was a program that was supposed to produce a lot of professionals and I think it has done well,” Altidore said before recalling the list of players he trained with during his time here as a teen.

“Freddy Adu, Quavas Kirk, Nikolas Besagno, David Arvizu and Dax McCarty.”

The list was proof alone that talent at the youth level doesn’t always translate.

Adu is out of work while Kirk and Arvizu are playing at a much lower level.

Besagno, strangely enough, was selected first overall by Real Salt Lake in the 2005 MLS draft.

No one knows where he is.

“You never know with these type of things, but that was unfortunate,” Altidore said.

AWKWARD TIMES AT HOTEL

Oddly enough, Jozy Altidore’s former club is staying alongside Toronto FC at Sarasota’s Hyatt Regency.

There are New York Red Bulls crests everywhere you look.

“It’s very awkward,” Altidore said. “It’s staff. It’s weird seeing the badge and staff members. It’s really weird.”

Along with the Portland Timbers, the Red Bulls were in the hunt to land Altidore upon his return from Europe this winter.

“They were there,” Altidore said. “I have respect for them.”

In the end, though, TFC won out.

Going missing

One of TFC’s union representatives — either Michael Bradley or Joe Bendik — will depart camp for New York City this week as talks between the MLS Players’ Union and league are starting back up. It’s believed that the first week of the season will be cancelled if the two sides can’t come to a new CBA agreement by two Wednesdays from now.

BMO logo staying?

Toronto FC is believed to have signed a one-year extension that will keep BMO on the front of its jersey for the 2015 season, extending BMO’s run as the club’s only shirt sponsor for a ninth season.

Transfer window

The Toronto Sun has learned that MLS teams will only be able to trade players this season during the leagues official transfer windows that go from Feb. 12 to May 6 and July 9 to Aug. 6.

TFC II victorious

Toronto FC II — the club’s new minor-league (USL) affiliate — defeated Florida Gulf Coast University 2-1 at the IMG Academy Sunday afternoon.