SAN ANTONIO – It's been over a year since New England Revolution forward Juan Agudelo appeared for the US national team. And his eagerness showed when he came on in the 65th minute of Wednesday's 2-0 win over Mexico at the Alamodome.
“[His] energy was outstanding,” Klinsmann said after the game in reference to Agudelo's play, which would result in a 72nd-minute goal that sealed another Dos-a-Cero result against the USA's heated rivals.
Agudelo showed the confidence of old, receiving captain Michael Bradley’s pass, taking on a defender and firing from outside the penalty area.
“It was an overlapping run,” Agudelo said, seeing the play with a goalscorer’s simple perspective. “I was able to bring it down in enough space to take an open shot.”
It had been more than four years since Agudelo had scored for the US, in a March 2011 friendly against Argentina at his hometown New Jersey Meadowlands. Wednesday's second-half strike provided the exclamation mark on his return to the MLS and USMNT spotlight after 10 months without competitive soccer as he searched for a new club.
Agudelo came on for college sensation Jordan Morris, who captured the headlines with the opener. Although still only 22 years old himself, Agudelo knows the competition from the newest wave of young players will be fierce. Fellow MLS Homegrown Player Gyasi Zardes also started at forward in the match and 25-year-old Minnesota United player Miguel Ibarra come off the bench.
“It pushes me to see that there are younger players in here pushing each other,” Agudelo said of his return to the US national team for the first time since a March 2014 friendly against Ukraine. “To me, that can only make the national team better.”
