Juan Agudelo is on his option to Stoke Metropolis of the English Premier League, however earlier than he strikes abroad, the 20-year-old striker plans to assist New England increase a ruckus within the MLS Playoffs.
BY
Brian Sciaretta
Posted
November 05, 2013
1:35 PM
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WHEN IT WAS ANNOUNCED in late August that Juan Agudelo wouldn’t be offered to Stoke Metropolis early and would stay with the New England Revolution via the tip of the Main League Soccer season, few might have predicted the influence of that call.
However it was a severe game-changer for the Revolution, a assured younger crew that’s trying extraordinarily harmful within the MLS playoffs. The membership performs Sporting Kansas Metropolis Wednesday evening (9 p.m. Japanese; MLS Reside) and solely wants a tie to advance to the Japanese Convention finals.
Nonetheless simply 20 years outdated, Agudelo has meshed nicely with New England’s core of younger gamers since arriving from Chivas USA in Might. Kelyn Rowe, Andrew Farrell, and Diego Fagundez—who could possibly be among the best youngsters in league historical past—have all thrived since Agudelo’s arrival.
The truth is, your entire crew appears to play higher with Agudelo within the lineup. Although he has battled accidents all year long and performed simply 15 matches for New England this season, the membership is 9-4-2 in these contests. Agudelo has scored 5 objectives in that span, together with the game-winning objective in a 1-0 season finale victory over Columbus that clinched a playoff spot.
“We’re excited,” Agudelo instructed American Soccer Now. “I feel like we have a good group of guys to make a push in this series. It’s serious business. I really enjoy the Revolution and the young-minded team approach. The belief that they have in younger guys is incredible. It’s growing. Young players are getting the opportunity and taking advantage of the opportunity. That’ll then give another young player the confidence to do the same.”
The architect of the youth motion at New England has been head coach Jay Heaps, who has discovered a option to implement a system that has greatest utilized Fagundez, Rowe, Farrell, and Agudelo. When Agudelo joined, Heaps discovered {that a} 4-1-4-1 formation labored greatest, because it liberated Agudelo offensively and took benefit of his potential to carry the ball and preserve possession. Because of this, Agudelo has prospered in entrance of objective whereas growing the offensive productiveness of his teammates.
“Juan has a extremely good presence up there,” Heaps stated in August. “He’s not afraid to receive it and when he receives it, he’s actually always dangerous as he holds it. He makes players like Lee [Nguyen] and Kelyn [Rowe] have a little bit more time to find the gaps. So when you have someone who can do that, it really opens up what we’re trying to do.”
The Revolution is now on the verge of an upset within the Japanese Convention semifinals. On Saturday, New England surprised Sporting Kansas Metropolis 2-1 at Gillette Stadium and can now head to Sporting Park for Wednesday’s return leg wanted only a tie to advance.
Agudelo is aware of that the return leg might be maybe the hardest recreation of the season however on the identical level he stays assured. When he has been wholesome, the Revolution has been among the many greatest groups within the league. And proper now he feels one hundred pc wholesome.
“They’re a hard working team,” Agudelo stated of Kansas Metropolis. “They’re probably one of the highest-pressuring and hardest-working and battling teams in the league. That’s why they’re second in the East. They’re going to give us a tough battle. We have a group of hard-working guys and toward the end of the season we turned it on. We developed good chemistry. We know what to do.”
This can probably be Agudelo’s final MLS playoff marketing campaign—no less than for a number of years. Over the summer time he signed a take care of Stoke Metropolis of the English Premier League that goes into impact in January if he can safe a U.Okay. work allow. Stoke made a suggestion to purchase him early in August nevertheless it was rejected and Agudelo has as a substitute remained with the Revolution in its try to win its first-ever MLS Cup.
He enjoys the construction of the MLS playoffs the place the video games are all intense and a crew’s season might finish with only one poor efficiency. Subsequent yr he might be taking part in in maybe the game’s most prestigious league, however will he miss lately of the playoffs?
“Oh definitely,” he stated. “For sure.”
Brian Sciaretta is an American Soccer Now columnist and an ASN 100 panelist. Observe him on Twitter.
