USMNT forward Jozy Altidore has a new club and with it an opportunity for us to learn a bit more about Holland’s Eredivisie. That’s the league where Oguchi Onyewu spent the second half of the 2010-11 season and where players like Earnie Stewart, DaMarcus Beasley, and Michael Bradley found success. With a USMNT player behind the scenes and another on the field, here’s what you need to know about AZ.

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Altidore joins AZ

After time spent on loan from Villarreal with Hull City and Bursaspor, Jozy Altidore completed a transfer to AZ on July 15th. It’s the Stewart connection to AZ that’s interesting. Though he never played for the club, Stewart is their Director of Football. That’s a position he originally held with NAC Breda before moving to Alkmaar in June of last year.

Alkmaar as a soccer city

Alkmaar, in Holland. It’s been a city since 1254, known for its cheese market. Seriously, it’s the home of Holland’s Cheese Museum as well as the Stove Museum and the National Beer Museum. What? You country doesn’t have all of those things? Unless you’re really into Dutch pop music or politics, we’re going to safetly assume a list of famous Alkmaarians (we Anglicized that, so apologies if it means something else) would be wasted on you.

Alkmaar Zaanstreek

Occasions Zaanstreek

Alkmaar Zaanstreek, founded in 1967 and known far and wide as simply AZ. Since AZ is the acronym, calling the club AZ Alkmaar or AZ Alkmaar Zaanstreek would be somewhat redundant. Anyway, like so many European clubs the AZ we now know were once two clubs, helpfully named Alkmaar and Zaanstreek. AZ have won the Eredivise twice: 1981 and 2009, finishing second on two occasions: 1980 and 2006. They were UEFA Cup runners-up in 1981 and made the semifinals in 2005. But it hasn’t all been cheese, beer, and stoves for AZ, relegated in 1988 and not returning to the topflight for ten years.

How Tough Is The Eredivisie?

Auto Occasions Zaanstreek

Ask any Euro-enthusiast and they would go ahead and fill in Ajax and PSV Eindhoven as the teams most likely to in Holland. Fair enough, since combined they’ve won the title 40 times since the Eredivisie was organized in 1951. Add in Feyenoord, and you’ve accounted for all but three titles. AZ won two of those three, putting them in 4th-place overall, but distant compared to the league’s true elite. All of that to say, it’s not an easy league if you’re a club that doesn’t happen to be named Ajax, PSV, or Feyenoord.

AFAS Stadion

AZ plays at the 17,023-seater AFAS Stadion, eventually to be expanded to seat 30,000 fans. Though it’s normally associated with American stadiums, AZ ran into sponsor bankruptcy issues, eventually righting things with shirt and stadium sponsor AFAS, a computer company. Fans weren’t exactly amused, referring to the stadium as AZ Stadion or Victorie Stadion. Why Victorie? Other than cheese, beer, and stoves, Alkmaar was the site of a major battle in the 80 years war… in 1573. Fast forward a few centuries and AZ’s nice new home opened in 2006, replacing the wonderfully named Alkmaarderhout. The problem with the Hout (their name, not ours) is that it only sat 8,914. It no longer exists. Though it has nothing to do with AZ, since we’re not likely to get the opportunity anywhere else, there’s a stadium in Holland’s second division called the Mitsubishi Forklift Stadion. Any candidates for worse stadium name are gladly welcomed.