Juan Agudelo's European saga was well-documented.
Following a failed attempt to gain a work permit to join English Premier League side Stoke City in November 2013, Agudelo spent a brief-but-promising loan stint with Dutch club FC Utrecht. Curiosity piqued when he dropped into limbo at the end of the European season in the summer of 2014.
His whereabouts were tracked like some sort of mythical creature. From New York to Orlando to Germany, Agudelo popped up on pitches all over, training and trialing, but the talented young striker remained without a club. It turned out to be 10 months until he found one – and to the surprise of many, the 22-year-old landed back with the New England Revolution, the club where he had his most successful professional season in 2013.
“It’s really unfortunate that rules exist in England that prevent a club from signing a player that they wish,” Agudelo told MLSsoccer.com. “I’m bummed out that it didn’t work out, but everyone moves forward, and I’m really excited to come back to a team that I’m familiar with. After Holland, there was still time to keep pushing for a certain outcome in Europe. Six months after that, I just thought it was time to get back on the field and do what I’ve loved doing since I was a little boy.”
After scoring seven goals in 14 games for the Revs as a 20-year-old, Agudelo was about to make his dreams come true in jumping to the EPL. Yet not only did the initial attempt at a work permit prove fruitless, but a secondary attempt came up empty as well, forcing Stoke to terminate their contract.
While figuring out his next move, he was courted by clubs in Germany, Italy, Spain, England and the United States, where New England – who maintained first right of refusal after he departed – made an inquiry as to his availability.
“We always had him on our radar,” said Revolution head coach Jay Heaps. “We made another attempt last spring to get him. Juan had great opportunities and continues to have opportunities and interest from other parts of the world. We stayed in touch, just more from an interest level.”
When a last-ditch effort to obtain a European passport through Cyprus did not work for Agudelo, he knew the time had come to make a proper decision. He cites numerous reasons for deciding that his best option lay in a return to New England, not the least of which was his budding family.
“I thought about it, and it was a big factor,” said Agudelo, whose fiancée Vanessa gave birth to their daughter, Catalina Bella, on Feb. 6. “If I was single, I think I wouldn’t have worried about any other thing but pushed myself into Europe in any way I could.”
Having his family with him became top priority, so staying Stateside was a more favorable situation, and knowing he could return to New England made the decision even easier.
“I felt like it was a place where I was really comfortable,” said Agudelo, who officially re-signed with the Revolution on Jan. 30. “I have a fiancée and a kid … It was a very important decision that I had to make.”
In returning to the Revolution, he will also enjoy more exposure than before, playing on a top club in the Eastern Conference after their run to the MLS Cup last season.
Agudelo is looking forward to linking up with the likes of Kelyn Rowe, Diego Fagundez and Lee Nguyen once again, and playing alongside Jermaine Jones. Although he never wore a Revolution uniform with them, he is also familiar with other key offensive components Teal Bunbury and Charlie Davies from their time with the US national team, which Agudelo hopes to rejoin.
“When I was younger, the way I was getting on the national team was not to be thinking about the national team,” said Agudelo. “I’m focusing on my club efforts. After that comes the rewarding factor of hopefully playing on the national team. But I'm taking it one step at a time. Definitely it’s one of my goals.”
Now that he has a club to call home, Agudelo is allowed to set such goals, the first of which is to try and help the Revs take home that elusive MLS Cup title.
For the organization, he fills a need identified as a top priority in the offseason. Heaps & co. are hopeful Agudelo can be the missing piece of the puzzle.
“He fits in really well on the field and he fits in really well off the field with our guys,” said New England general manager Mike Burns. “That, coupled with the fact that it was our No. 1 target in the offseason to look for a No. 9, it really made all the sense in the world to us to try and pursue him and get him back in a Revs uniform. I think he’s thrilled, we’re certainly thrilled and I think his teammates are thrilled.”
Agudelo himself is eager to move forward.
“I don’t regret any decision that I’ve made,” he said. “The most important thing that I learned was that soccer was my happiness and that I needed to get back to it right away. I’ve kept in touch with a lot of the guys and Jay. The chemistry just keeps getting better and better. I’m sure that’s one of the key factors that helped the team get far last year. I’m just hoping I can help the team any way I can to finish it off.”
