Twitter USMNT striker Jozy Altidore and WTA star Sloane Stephens have been engaged since April 2019.
Jozy Altidore leads the current United States men’s national team in goals scored during Gold Cup action, as he’s notched four in his career. While he may not be needed Friday night versus Trinidad and Tobago (though the U.S. has revenge on the mind after last year’s embarrassing loss), getting him healthy for quarterfinal action is a top priority for head coach Gregg Berhalter.
Altidore, 29, sat for the Gold Cup opener versus Guyana, as Berhalter didn’t want to risk his striker not going the full 90 minutes after months off due to an undisclosed injury.
The time off wasn’t just good for rest and recovery. Altidore also got engaged to tennis star Sloane Stephens back in late April. The ninth-ranked player on the WTA singles tour announced the news with her soccer hubby on Instagram.
Altidore announced in his own post that “Forever starts now ❤️.” Stephens, 26, responded with ““Forever yes ♥️.”
Altidore & Stephens Support Each Other as Athletes
According to The New York Times, Stephens and Altidore have known each other since fifth grade. Stephens grew up in Plantation, Florida while Altidore grew up just a few minutes north in Boca Raton, Florida. According to the USA Today, the couple reconnected in 2016 and began dating.
Altidore explains that the two work well together due to a mutual understanding about the rigors of being an athlete.
“She is somebody who gets everything I am going through without having to say anything,” Altidore explained to USA Today. “You look at each other and you kind of know right away if one of you is annoyed. She just kind of gets the mood I’m in, as obviously she lives a very similar kind of life. In that regard it works really well, there is no stress. She is a successful athlete and I do okay, and we just enjoy our time together when we are together.”
Altidore offered that support to her in full force after she suffered a stress fracture three months after the 2016 Olympics. According to The New York Times, the injury sidelined her for 11 months. She returned in 2017 to win the U.S. Open for her first Grand Slam title.
She credits her fiance for his positivity during her time on the mend.
“I don’t think there’s been a more positive person [than Jozy Altidore] in my corner that I’ve had,” Stephens told The New York Times. “When I was on the peg leg, I was with him, and I would always make fun of myself and he’d make fun of me. But he kept it really light for me, so I was never too sad.”
After her breakthrough in 2017, which resulted in her climbing as high as No. 3 in the world, Altidore much sure to give credit where credit was due.
“She deserves every amount of credit she is getting now,” Altidore told USA Today. “She put it all in when no one was watching and she reaped all the benefits by coming back and setting the world on fire.”
A date and location for the wedding is currently to be determined and unknown.