Diego’s Excellent Adventure
- Updated: March 7, 2015
Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz
Nothing could have fully prepared Diego Fagundez for the first time he stepped onto the pitch at Estadio Domingo Burgueño wearing the light blue kit of his native Uruguay. Nor do words give justice to full effect of the experience.
Although he’d previously answered the call for Uruguay U-20 camp on a pair of previous occasions, Fagundez got his full run with the U-20 side during January’s South American Youth Championship.
As fierce as the competition can be in MLS, Fagundez said that the bright lights and packed stadiums he played before in his home country – where the tournament was held – was unlike anything he’d ever seen or experienced.
“It’s all different because you’re playing for a country,” Fagundez said. “It’s one of those things that you’re representing a lot of people, and for Uruguay, we’re only three million people. So it’s you and those three million people supporting the team.”
During the course of the month-long tournament, Fagundez earned two starts and collected 147 minutes across a total of four appearances for the young La Celeste side. Uruguay advanced to the final before falling 2-1 to Argentina, but still qualified for the U-20 World Cup, which kicks off in May.
While the tournament was one that Fagundez said he’ll never forget, there were certainly tangible benefits from playing in coach Fabio Coito’s system. Benefits that forced the creative midfielder to think about the game through a different lens.
Instead of playing out on the wing – where he regularly featured for the Revolution – he was slotted centrally. And surrounded by a set of new faces and in an environment starkly different than any he’d ever seen in MLS, Fagundez had to acclimate to his new role quickly.
“I think I got sharp while I was over there, which definitely helped,” Fagundez said. “It’s one of those things where you don’t really rest, you just keep playing, and I definitely enjoyed that.”
Fagundez isn’t the only one who believes that his time with the national team sharpened his game.
“I think it opened his eyes quite a bit,” Revolution coach Jay Heaps said. “He (knew) only one thing, which is the Revs Academy and the Revs first team, and I think it was a really good perspective for him.”
That change in perspective has also yielded dividends at the club side. Following the tournament finale, Fagundez wasted no time showcasing his renewed confidence in preseason action. He linked up with Juan Agudelo regularly, scored against Colorado, and perhaps more importantly, recommitted himself to his defensive duties.
Not that Heaps was surprised. As much as he credited his young midfielder for applying what he learned during the South American championship, the Revolution coach said he could see Fagundez already thinking ahead last fall.
“He had an explosive year (in 2013), and last year, was coming to terms with that, and teams were playing him a little differently,” Heaps said. “At the end of last year, he really started to put things together. He wasn’t getting the first teams minutes that he wanted, but he was putting together what he knew it was going to take for him to be in the position he’s going to be in this year.”
Given the national team call-up and the remarkable patch of form he found himself in during the preseason, 2015 could be a signature season for Fagundez. With a possible call-up for the U-20 World Cup on tap, and the Revolution positioned as title contenders, the future is brighter than ever for Fagundez.
“I went over there and just lived the dream I’ve always wanted to do, and that was to play for a country,” Fagundez said. “I worked really hard in the offseason, especially there, and I just came here with all the energy to try and do everything that I can to get that spot in the XI, and do everything I can to help out the team.”
Related Posts
About Brian O'Connell
