Boyd has made waves in recent months. The up-and-coming striker's excellent season for Dortmund's reserve team (20 goals, 5 assists) paid off with a U.S. national team debut under Jurgen Klinsmann. But earning playing time for Dortmund's senior team was a murkier issue.
With Dortmund striker Lucas Barrios off to China, many expected that Boyd would be promoted to the first team as a backup to established poacher Robert Lewandowski. However, Boyd had no intention of riding the bench and hoping for scrap minutes with the German champion. Instead, he heads to Vienna to become a guaranteed starter and play significant minutes in Rapid's first team. It is this decision that bears so much similarity to the one Altidore made last summer.
Once U.S. soccer's "next big thing," Altidore's move as an 18-year-old from the New York Red Bulls to Spain's Villarreal proved to be too much. Playing time in Spain's La Liga was hard to come by, and multiple loan spells made it impossible for the raw striker to refine his game. After several seasons treading water, Altidore's confidence and form hit all-time lows, and many wrote him off as a bust. Villarreal spent last summer working to find its once prized prospect a new club and — for the price right — AZ Alkmaar stepped in.
In swapping La Liga for the Dutch Eredivisie and the UEFA Champions League for the UEFA Europa League, Altidore was taking a marked step down. Yet, it's better for a young player to play consistent minutes in a weaker league (although the Eredivisie is home to some of the best soccer around), than sit on the sideline and press for goals in limited minutes. So it proved true with Altidore. Finishing as Alkmaar's top scorer (15 league goals and four in the Europa League) and showing substantial progress in his first touch and hold up play, Altidore has gotten himself back on track to being one of Europe's most-promising strikers.
Boyd's sacrifice for guaranteed minutes is almost identical to that of Altidore. The German Bundesliga is stronger than its Austrian counterpart, and Boyd is making the same Champions League for Europa League swap that Altidore did before him. Now, it's time for Boyd to follow in Altidore's footsteps and show why he can be "the man" when given the chance to spearhead Rapid's attack.
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