FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – All new parents are well aware of the sleep schedule of their newborn, and moreso how it affects their own slumber.
For a world class athlete, gaining proper, valuable sleep after becoming a new dad is near impossible for much of the first few months of parenthood.
New England Revolution forward Juan Agudelo, now a doting dad of three-month-old Christina Bella, is roused once a night when his daughter wakes up for a feeding, so he does what he can to help his fiancé Vanessa, and relocates.
"It's easy for me because all I have to do is go into the other room and let my fiancé deal with it," Agudelo joked. "Sometimes, when I don't have too much of an important thing the next day, I wake up and enjoy it. Changing her, feeding her. She wakes up once at night, so it's not bad.
"You just feel like you want to give the world to her. You feel like you're responsible for every little thing. You just want to care for her because she deserves to be cared for. I still can't believe I created that."
There is no doubting that Agudelo has returned the “swag” to MLS, but with it now comes with a new level of maturity that has him back on track as a spotlight player in the game.
With a new family, a newly-purchased home in Massachusetts, and a newfound perspective, the 22-year-old has been able to finally settle in somewhere after years of pit stops and uncertainties. That stability has led to a greater comfort level in his return to New England, and the results have reflected the Revs' transformation into one of the most dangerous clubs in the league.
“It's a maturing experience," Agudelo told MLSsoccer.com. "It's made me a man a lot faster. I feel like a man already at 22. It's made me more disciplined. All the good things that a grown man should have. I feel pretty good. I feel comfortable on and off the field. I think things are going good. Would like to be on top of the table and help our team win the Supporter’s Shield.”
“He’s here, he’s committed to being here for at least a long while and that’s important because now he’s settling in and putting down roots,” said Revolution coach Jay Heaps. “I think that’s important for a player, especially Juan.”
A product of the New York Red Bulls Academy, Agudelo spent the first few years of his young career bouncing about three teams, eventually finding success with New England in 2013 when he scored 7 goals in 14 appearances.
At age 20 his skill set was highly desired by clubs across the globe, and he eventually signed with Stoke City, where he looked to live out the dream of playing in the Premier League.
Instead, Agudelo spent a full year in virtual limbo, battling visa and work permit issues, playing on loan for Dutch club FC Utrecht, and never actually getting the chance to show how much swag he had in store for Stoke.
His situation also hindered his opportunities with the US national team, who only came calling once in 2014.
Although he did pop up around the world in training stints during his dormancy, the brilliant finisher known for his flashy strikes had no major competitive outlet week-in and week-out.
Flip the page to 2015, and no one could have been happier than Agudelo to find that outlet as he opened the new year with a new contract in a familiar place.
Wisely, upon his departure after the 2013 season, the Revolution retained the right of first refusal if he were to return to MLS and when he did, New England gladly signed him to a multi-year deal in January.
The very next month, his Vanessa gave birth to Christina Bella, their first child, and the player who many saw as a fresh-faced kid was now given the greatest responsibility in the world, parenthood.
“It pushes me to recover faster and become more of a professional,” said Agudelo on how things have changed in his life and career once his daughter came into the world. “Whether it’s in training sessions or games, you realize you have a lot to lose if you take it for granted.
"Beginning of my career I maybe didn't take the recovering the body as serious. I felt that I'm young, I don't have to stretch after practice, I don't have to take ice baths. It actually affected me with injuries. That's the thing that I would go back and do better."
He has held that mindset from the first whistle of the season, taking a little bit of time before getting fully comfortable with some old and new teammates, but he's acclimated nicely in starting all 12 matches for the Revs this season.
There were early flashes of the “Swagudelo” that brought Revs fans out of their seats two years prior, but he was unable to convert over the club's first four matches of the season. In fairness, not many Revs players were.
While March wasn’t fruitful, the next month saw a boom as Agudelo struck on April 4 for his first MLS goal in October of 2013.
Soon after, the USMNT found his number once again and called him in for the mid-April friendly with Mexico, where his newfound form to the international stage with a 72nd minute strike, just seven minutes after subbing on, that sealed another
dos a cero
victory
.
There has been no slowing him down since, as he added a dynamic presence to the already-talented Revs attack, totaling four goals and an assist so far in 2015.
With the Gold Cup looming, the recent injury to Jozy Altidore and Agudelo’s current run of form, he could be lined up for an even better summer.
“I just got to keep on helping my team win,” said Agudelo on what will get him another call from Jurgen Klinsmann and company. “If we’re winning and we’re not losing it’s making every single player on this club look good. So, I’m sure Jurgen would want me to play as many minutes as I can, every single weekend and see if I can get on scoresheets or get an assist, anything that can help out the team.”
As far as having any contact with Klinsmann since his April stint with the national team, he said that there have been “no conversations, but it goes without saying that I know what he would want.”
“Where he’s at in his career, he needs to be establishing himself instead of worrying about the next step,” said Heaps. “He needs to worry about this step. I think that he’s always done a good job at that, but I think really right now he’s honing in on that and realizing what his strengths are and how he needs to get better. He’s shown that week in and week out.”
Everything to this point has been a lesson in life for a man who won’t turn 23 until November.
He has his fiancé, he has his baby daughter and he has stability, which has allowed him to look back on the good and the bad of the past and use all of it to fuel his drive him every single day.
“No regrets,” said Agudelo. “My life is how it is now because of what I went through before. It’s made me a better person and made me learn.”
