TUCSON, Ariz. – It was only preseason and it was only 15 minutes, but Juan Agudelo’s brief run-out in Wednesday afternoon’s 2-0 friendly loss to Vancouver Whitecaps FC was an important step.
Almost nine months to the day since his last competitive match with FC Utrecht, Agudelo had plenty of bounce in his step when he replaced Charlie Davies in the 30th minute to operate as the center forward in New England’s hybrid 4-3-3 setup.
“It was fun,” Agudelo said. “Just awesome to be out there playing.”
While most of his teammates played a full 45-minute half against Vancouver, Agudelo was limited to a quarter of an hour with just two days of training under his belt following a weekend arrival. The 22-year-old supplemented his brief stint by working with strength and conditioning coach Nick Downing on an adjacent field afterwards, running through fitness and finishing drills during the second half.
Although Agudelo admitted he would’ve played longer if given the option, he understands the coaching staff’s decision to ease him into a full workload in the early days of preseason.
“I would love to play a little more, but I think 15 minutes was good enough for me,” Agudelo said. “Did a little bit extra after, but it was very important to just get a feel and I felt like I did that today.”
“He worked hard and got his lungs working there for 15 minutes,” said head coach Jay Heaps. “You don’t want to overdo it and we wanted to get him back in with the group.”
Apart from Teal Bunbury, Daigo Kobayashi and Jeremy Hall, everyone on the field during Agudelo’s 15 minutes had played with him during his first stint with the Revs back in 2013. The club also plays a similar system to the one he operated in the first time around, making for a relatively smooth transition.
“I felt pretty comfortable and familiar with everything that was going on,” Agudelo said.
Agudelo’s touches were limited, but Wednesday’s appearance was more about fitness and rebuilding a comfort level with his teammates. With that as a starting point, Heaps is confident that the rest will come.
“He has a great understanding of what we’re trying to do,” Heaps said. “When we get a little bit sharper, he’ll have some more chances.”
