Ultimately, this is a story of one man. A boy, actually, because soccer player Jozy Altidore is only 17, as easy as that is to forget. But to tell the story of Jozy Altidore is to tell the story of many.

There's the young orphan in Haiti who needs spinal surgery to save her life. Altidore has joined efforts to bring her to the ...

... United States for the operation.

There's his family, which despite their hometown of Boca Raton, Altidore quickly points out, is making it not on wealth, but sacrifice.

There's the company he keeps: Grammy winner Wyclef Jean, who was impressed enough with Altidore during a charitable trip they made to Haiti that Jean wore Altidore's jersey during a concert. There's also a Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model. And adidas, which is featuring him in an "Impossible is Nothing" commercial.

With the Under-20 World Cup beginning today in Canada, there also is the teammate who joins Altidore in leading the United States attack: Freddy Adu.

You remember Adu. With a fat Nike contract, a commercial with Pelé and otherworldly hype, Adu had the world at his feet at age 14, at least until, critics say, those feet tripped over one another.

Which is why - despite Altidore's talent and flashes of brilliance - no one in any position of authority wants to hear a word about Jozy Altidore becoming the first truly great American soccer player. What Adu isn't.

"We have really blocked it out of our mind," said Altidore, who has discussed expectations with Adu.

"Freddy has the mind-set of, it's not about what other people think, it's about what he thinks and the close people around him think. I've taken that approach as well. There's going to be critics and there's going to be expectations, but that's their expectations. You have to get your own expectations and your own goals. As long as you get that fulfillment, that's really all that matters."

Timeout for a reminder: Despite the way he speaks, Altidore is, yes, 17, born Nov. 6, 1989, in New Jersey. He's also the youngest player selected by U.S. Under-20 coach Thomas Rongen, a former Fort Lauderdale Striker who lives in Sewall's Point.

Growing up grounded

Rongen thinks about the values instilled in Altidore by his parents that will serve him well as the hype intensifies. As Josmer (Jozy's given name) was growing up, his mother, Gisele, worked at three hospitals. His father, Joseph, delivered mail, which he still does. The Altidores sacrificed time together then and now, because Jozy is in his second season as a forward with Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls.

"I can't own a house until I'm 18, so she's going to live with me for the time being," Jozy said of his mother. Jozy, who in May missed a match to attend his prom at Boca Prep, has only a learner's permit, so he hears it from teammates: "It's, 'Jozy, why don't you come over? Oh, wait. Your mom has to come, too.' And everyone will start laughing."

Probably just as well they keep the kid in his place, Rongen figures.

"It can be hard sometimes for players. They get away from what is important and can actually believe the hype and stop growing and maturing as players and people because they think they've arrived already," Rongen said.

"It probably was with Eddie Johnson and maybe Freddy more so than anybody else."

Just as quickly, Rongen and Altidore add, they find it absurd to suggest Adu, still only 18, is a bust. "It's ridiculous," Altidore said. "Freddy has tons of potential."

A chance to help

Rongen is witnessing how grounded Altidore is. In November, Altidore and two Red Bulls teammates joined Jean and his charitable organization, Yele Haiti, on a six-day service trip to Haiti.

"I said to myself, 'OK, now is my chance where I can really help any way I could,' whether it was just getting water up to the children or giving them a dry shirt, or a shirt without holes in it," Altidore said. "Little things like that. Greeting them. Watching them celebrate just because they shook your hand ..."

Said Rongen: "When he came back, I said, 'How was the experience?' He goes, 'Wow, it was a real eye-opener.' So for him to realize, to be able to see in a very simple way the good and the bad ... to seriously think about some of those issues at his young age, is pretty remarkable."

Which makes it fitting that Rongen is Altidore's national-team coach. Rongen's wife, Gail Megaloudis Rongen, lost her 19-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, Nicole, in an auto accident in 2004. From that tragedy, the nonprofit Nicole Megaloudis Foundation was born.

"One of the things I promised myself (and Nicole) was that I'd continue her dream of helping kids in Haiti and Africa," Gail said.

About a month before Altidore visited Haiti, Gail spent a couple of weeks there assisting at an orphanage, where she "fell in love with this little girl," Thomas said, who needs spinal surgery. Beyond financing, facilitating it is difficult. Even getting a passport is tricky because she has no parents. That's where Gail and Altidore come in.

"She's talked to Jozy about that to see if he can help in Haiti, now that he's able to open some doors," Thomas said.

Altidore said when Gail first spoke to him about it, "I wasn't able to eat. I told her, 'Whatever we have to do, I want to help.' "

Dynamic first impression

Ditto for on the field. He recalls the shock of when Red Bulls coach Bruce Arena turned to him late in a scoreless match against Columbus last year and said, "Jozy, Jozy, get in there!" Altidore's reaction: "You sure?"

Hardly a few minutes passed before the then-16-year-old rookie had the nerve to shoot from 30 yards out. And the ability to make it.

Soon after, Altidore was easing his way into the starting lineup, finishing with four goals (two game-winners) in nine matches and becoming the youngest player to score in an MLS playoff match at 16 years, 357 days.

Next thing you know, fans are posting improvised song lyrics about him on bigsoccer.com, he's in a commercial and he's chatting with model Petra Nemcova as an invited guest at the Brick Awards, honoring young people who make positive contributions worldwide.

Today, Jozy Altidore hopes to make a positive contribution on the World Cup.

"When you think about 18 months ago, I was thinking, 'What college am I going to go to? How am I going to do this?' " Altidore said, "suddenly, the opportunity arrived for me and I took it by the horns. It has gone by real fast for me, but I'm enjoying every step of the way."

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