TUCSON, Ariz. – Diego Fagundez is all grown up.
It’s a bit unusual for someone to celebrate their 21st birthday while preparing to enter their sixth season as a professional athlete, but not much Fagundez does is typical. The first Homegrown player in New England Revolution history hit that milestone birthday on Sunday – Valentine’s Day – as the Revs made their way from Foxborough to Tucson.
The past six years have been quite a journey for Fagundez, who signed with the Revs in November 2010. There’ve been a few lulls, of course, but they’ve been punctuated by tremendous highs.
Let’s take a look back at some of the best moments from each year of Fagundez’s young career, as he’s gone from fresh-faced signee (who couldn’t even drive himself to practice) to full-fledged adult.
Age 15
“You’ve got to cook this thing. You can’t microwave it.”
Fagundez was a virtual unknown to Revolution fans when he signed as a 15-year-old late in 2010, as he became the youngest player in Revolution history and the third-youngest in MLS history.
One of the only players to be signed younger, of course, was Freddy Adu, who was 14 when he put pen to paper with D.C. United in 2004. With that as a cautionary tale, Director of Youth Development Bryan Scales warned against overhyping Fagundez, who still required time to develop.
And the Revs gave him that time to develop. Fagundez didn’t begin training with the first team until midway through the 2011 season, and didn’t make his MLS debut until nine months after signing.
But when he did debut, he wasted no time bursting onto the scene …
Age 16
“Fagundez battling. He’s in! He shoots! He has his first professional goal!”
Fagundez made his professional debut in a U.S. Open Cup victory over D.C. United in April 2011, but it wasn’t until August 6 that he first stepped onto the field in an MLS game. With the Revs trailing Chivas USA 2-0 at home, he replaced Zack Schilawski for the final 24 minutes.
He immediately gave everyone a taste of what was to come.
Just two minutes into his MLS debut, Fagundez used a shifty little move inside the box to draw a penalty kick, which Shalrie Joseph converted. Just 18 minutes later he got on the score sheet himself, latching onto Kevin Alston’s long pass and slotting a shot under Dan Kennedy.
Fagundez would finish the season with two goals and one assist in just six appearances (three starts) as a 16-year-old. Any lingering doubts had been erased. The kid was for real.
Age 17
Fagundez shows a flair for the dramatic
Rarely used through the first three months of the 2012 campaign, Fagundez had racked up just 148 minutes in one start and four substitute appearances entering the summer.
Given just nine minutes to make an impact in a home game against Seattle Sounders FC on June 30, Fagundez grabbed hold of the opportunity.
With the Revs trailing 2-1 in the fourth minute of stoppage time, Fagundez latched onto a Fernando Cardenas cross at the back post and guided a header past Bryan Meredith.
It was one of just two goals Fagundez scored that year as he found his way in new head coach Jay Heaps’ system, but it was a vital one as it snatched a point for the Revolution at the death.
Age 18
“Magnificent from Diego Fagundez! A star is born at Gillette Stadium!”
If there was a sophomore slump for Fagundez in 2012, he certainly broke out of it in a big way in 2013.
The teenager scored a remarkable 13 goals and added seven assists to earn MVP honors for the New England Revolution, easily making him the youngest to do so. He also became the youngest player in league history to hit double-digit goals in a single season when he scored his 10th on Septemer 8.
The highlight of a quite extraordinary season likely came on June 2, when Fagundez notched one goal and two assists in a 5-0 demolition of the LA Galaxy, on national television no less. It was Fagundez’s fourth consecutive game with a goal and firmly established him as one of MLS’ rising stars.
His goal arrived late on – in the 87th minute – and after a stellar showing throughout, prompted NBC Sports lead play-by-play announcer Arlo White to famously declare that a star was born.
Age 19
“Diego does the double! Guns-a-blazing here in Foxborough!”
The weight of expectations weighed a bit heavy on Fagundez in 2014 after his breakout 13-goal, seven-assist season, and it took him a while to get out of the gate in the new campaign.
He finally did so on May 11, though, and in spectacular fashion.
As part of another 5-0 walkover at home – this time against the league-leading Seattle Sounders – Fagundez notched the first multi-goal game of his professional career, finding the back of the net in the 29th and 41st minutes to put the Revs firmly in control before the halftime break.
The second goal was an absolute peach as Fagundez used his first touch to take down a perfectly-weighted cross-field pass from Teal Bunbury, and his second to lash the ball past Stefan Frei.
It was a performance that kick-started Fagundez; he recorded one goal and one assist in each of the next two games, both wins over the Philadelphia Union and D.C. United.
Age 20
“Side volley … what a goal! Diego stings it into the back of the net!”
June 13, 2015 was a milestone night for Diego Fagundez the moment he stepped onto the field.
Still just 20 years old at the time, Fagundez made his 100th regular-season appearance that evening against the Chicago Fire, making him the youngest player in league history to hit the century mark.
Eventually, Fagundez marked the occasion in his own special way.
With the score still 0-0 early in the second half, he stepped into a half-cleared corner kick and unleashed a vicious side volley from 20 yards, giving Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch no chance. Fagundez would call the goal the best of his professional career.
Two months later Fagundez would become the youngest player in league history to score 25 career goals, but nothing could quite top that side-volley winner against the Fire.
Age 21
“The best way to predict your future is to create it.”
Diego Fagundez has given us plenty of moments to remember through the first five-plus years of his New England Revolution career. Now 21 years old, we’re left to wonder, what’s next?
There’s only one way to find out.
