November 15, 2010 Revolution signs 15-year-old Diego Fagundez as first-ever Homegrown Player Leominster’s Diego Fagundez signs with first team from the club’s Under-16 squad FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution has signed 15-year-old Diego Fagundez as the team’s first-ever Homegrown Player. A midfielder/forward, Fagundez played the 2009-10 season with the Revolution’s Under-16 squad, and is the first player to sign with the Revolution’s first team directly from the club’s youth program. Fagundez has signed as a Generation adidas player and will occupy one of the team’s two Homegrown Player slots on the roster. “We’re pleased to sign Diego from our youth program,” Vice President of Player Personnel Michael Burns said. “We believe Diego has great potential and we want to ensure he continues to develop and mature in the Revolution’s system. We look forward to seeing him grow and eventually make an impact on the first team.” A native of Uruguay and a resident of Leominster, Mass., Fagundez earned U.S. Soccer Development Academy National Starting XI honors in 2010 after scoring 20 goals with the U16 squad. He helped lead the Under-16s to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy playoffs for the first time in program history, where the team fell short of the national finals on a tie-breaker. On a national level, Fagundez was called into camp with the U.S. Boys Under-15 squad in 2010. Season tickets for the 2011 season are now available, and start at $216 for 18-game packages. Call 1-877-GET-REVS or visit revolutionsoccer.net for more information. Diego Fagundez Pronunciation: dee-A-go fuh-GOON-dez Position: Midfielder/Forward Jersey No.: TBA Height: 5-8 Weight: 125 lbs. Date of Birth: Feb. 14, 1995 Place of Birth: Montevideo, Uruguay Hometown: Leominster, Mass. Last Club: Revolution Under-16s Roster status: Homegrown Player/Generation adidas Acquired: Signed as a Homegrown Player on Nov. 15, 2010 TRANSACTION: Signed M/F Diego Fagundez as a Homegrown Player
Fagundez was clearly one of the top candidates to be our first HG player, but I don't think anybody expected it to happen so soon. He's a '95 which means has two more years of eligibility for the DAP U-16 team. Obviously we can't expect much from this kid for a few years. I imagine that he'll train with the first team, see time with our reserve team, and continue to play for our academy teams.
I'm pretty surprised to see this move, especially following Burns' comments from a couple months ago. I wish he was a little older, and possibly closer to contributing to the first team, but it's a great move to keep a talented young player in the organization. Hopefully two or three years from now we'll see Diego having a season similiar to the one Andy Najar had this year.
You'd be surprised, there are many kid around the world able to step up to 'men' in their respected leagues in their home countries. Hopefully this kid gets to see some games for you guys next season!!! Any info on this kid? At 5'8 he's big enough..... although his weight at 125.... is a little off.
Nice move by the Revs and congrats to the kid. I've heard this kid's skill is legit though there are the obvious questions about his size and ability to handle the physicality. But, if he can handle, the Revs have themselves a good one.
It's possible that the Revs had to act quickly to fend off foreign interest. It wouldn't be the first time that an MLS club did so. We've already (allegedly) lost Felix DeBona to Malaga. I'm happy to lock up one of our better players.
Well, he is only 15. I've seen him play a lot. Even in high school games (he only played a few scrimmages), he didn't shy away from the physical game. He is shifty and quick, and has incredible balance, so he is able to handle physical play. If he was able to play the other night, Leominster would easily be going to the State Semifinals. Seriously, at first glance you would see this kid and think he is too small. Then you see him play with and against some 6'+ 180lbs+ kids and he doesn't look out of place at all. He still has a long ways to go, but he is definitely an encouraging signing. His technical skill is absolutely sublime. In all my years of coaching in New England, I have never seen a kid blessed with such technical talent.
Wow! Reply 13 and nobody has made a sarcastic comment like "This had better not be our DP!" I guess this means the KAD's are winning!
I don't think the NNN's are nearly as negative as the KAD's have made us out to be. I'm extremely excited by this move, regardless of whether it ever has any effect on the first team. It shows that the Revs have learned from their past mistake (Felix DeBona) and are preparing for the future.
No matter what, it will be a few years before this guy is ready for the big time. The hit/miss ratio is not always that great, but at least if there is a guy who they think might be a good pro, that's all good! If he can train with the team, learn from pros, maybe get a little action in a reserve game, so much the better. Let's see where he is in 3 years. Not exactly popping champagne corks, but more of a walk to the coffee machine. No complaints, but nothing to get excited about just yet.
Great news for Diego Fagundez and the Rev's. A well deserved choice, he is not only skillful but a polite, friendly young man. Watching him play , he has great composure, vision and presence on the field. He's fun to watch! Reminds me of a Beto Naveda with a little Clint Dempsey mixed in and then poured into a Johnny Torres-type body. He's only 15 and I think the Rev's would want him to get playing time in the Academy and reserve matches. I wonder if this announcement was to prevent a foreign club from poaching him like Felix DeBona (Malaga). I had heard that there were foreign scouts at the SUM MLS Cup in Houston this summer and an Italian team had expressed an interest in him. By living at home, he should also have the proper guidance to prevent a Jamar Beasley redux.
Soccer America's take on the signing http://www.socceramerica.com/article/40426/revs-snap-up-15-year-old-phenom.html "The New England Revolution's signing of 15-year-old Diego Fagundez -- the youngest player signed to an MLS contract since Freddy Adu joined D.C. United at the age of 14 in 2004 -- as its first homegrown player signals MLS's rapid expansion into player development."
Good post, interesting take on the kid. The only thing I disagree with you is suggesting they'd easily have beaten my alma mater Algonquin who beat Leominster for the CMass title. We'd still beat them Fagundez or no Fagundez!
If you were at the game, you would have seen what I was talking about. Leominster dominated the entire game. The only thing Leominster really lacked was a link between the midfield and Machado (another Revs academy player). If they had a link between Moreia (Revs Academy) and Macado in the final third, they would have easily finished a few off. They just lacked that cutting edge in the final third. They really should have beat Algonquin. They were by far the more talented side. Algonquin doesn't really play much actual soccer, and haven't since Morin built the program in the 90's, and even when Fredricks took over in the late 90's. I'm not slighting their program at all. They know how to win in high school, which is to pack it in, and use athletes to run through back-lines on counter attacks. It was probably Leominster's passing style that ultimately killed them in the end, but they really played some of the best soccer I've seen at the high school level in Massachusetts in a long time, maybe ever (trying to avoid hyperbole).
Hmmmm.... At first glance, it seems to me that it would be a very bad idea to limit the number of homegrown players a team could sign. Isn't that the whole point? Who wants to invest in an academy if you can only take a handful, while other clubs get to poach the leftovers. If you look at this in the context of baseball and the farm system, the teams that continually do well are the ones who keep developing players. Yes, add other players to the senior team (DPs, foreign signings, draft picks, trades, etc), but a lot of the rank-and-file players on the roster should be home developed. Sure beats paying a transfer fee for a bench guy. Can anyone enlighten me as to why the league would not want to have all their teams develop the core of their players?
I think they were trying to keep teams in the early days of this process, from just signing every single kid in their region (and others, given the fact that you can set up other regional academies). It makes some sense, because then it would have just been an arms race, where the quickest club, with the most money to spend, would have won. Now that clubs all have established academies, I would think it would be ideal to let them sign more players. The issue of those regional academies may still play a part however. I also think the relationship with the NCAA plays a part in that rule as well. If the acadmies signed all, or most of the most talented players, then the NCAA would not become a real option for would-be professionals. Thereby taking money out of the NCAA's hands as their product suffers. Which is another topic for another day.