[MLS SPOTLIGHT] Once regarded as the brightest prospect among young U.S. forwards, Juan Agudelo can’t seem to find a suitable club option.
He’s been traded again, this time from Chivas USA to New England, in exchange for allocation money. The allocation amount, as is customary, hasn’t been specified, but it’s clearthat the Colombian-born Agudelo hadn’t met the needs of Mexican coach Jose Luis Sanchez Sola even though he scored two goals and assisted on another in his six appearances.
Agudelo, 20, is in his fourth professional season since debuting for the Red Bulls in October, 2010. The Red Bulls signed him as a Homegrown player after he’d come through the club’sacademy program, yet the club traded him to Chivas USA a year ago in exchange for defender Heath Pearce. Agudelo’s lifetime MLS stats with New York and Chivas USA are: 59 games (33starts), 11 goals, and six assists.
He’s played 17 times for the U.S. national team, starting with his scoring debut against South Africa in November, 2010, and has a total of twogoals. He played in a friendly against Russia last November and has one U.S. appearance this year in a January friendly with Canada.
Agudelo joins a Revolution struggling to score goalsand in seventh place with a 2-3-3 record. The Revs have the fewest goals, four, in MLS. French striker Saer Sene recently returned after a long injury layoff, and Honduran forwardJerry Bengston has been struggling, so Agudelo might be joining the right team at the right time. The Revs have setup men in Andy Dorman, Lee Nguyenand Kelyn Rowe to supply the chances.
“We’re very pleased we were able to complete this deal with Chivas USA,” said Revs general manager MichaelBurns in a team press release announcing the trade. “While Juan is a young player with tremendous potential, he also already has a lot of experience both inside our league andinternationally with the U.S. national team. We believe Juan will improve our attack and make us a better team.”
Agudelo (6-foot-1, 180 pounds) moved from Colombia to New Jerseywith his family when he was 8, and attended three semesters of the U.S. U-17 Residency Program (2008-09) in Bradenton, Fla. He played in the 2009 U-17 World Cup and for the U.S. U-23s in Olympicqualifying last year.
Great potential! Needs confidence and support from a coach that believes in him.
Feliks is on the money, Agudelo needs a mentor who cares in order for him to respond.