MAURA GLADYS- Juan Agudelo made his formal introduction to U.S. soccer fans last Saturday when he poked the equalizer by Argentina’s Mariano Andujar in the 59th minute of their friendly at New Meadowlands Stadium to tie the South American giants 1-1. Since then, Agudelo has been dubbed everything from “the next great thing in American soccer” to “the future face of MLS,” in a race among American media outlets to see who can come up with the biggest superlative for the 18-year-old.
There is no questioning the fact that Agudelo is good. He has made a direct impact in his three international appearances and his speed, strength and confidence belie a bright future. However, the American soccer media’s reaction to Agudelo, or rather, how Agudelo’s future should be handled, has been surprisingly polarizing.
Half the country is over-hyping the youngster, while the other half is warning us to be wary of all of the over-hype. “He’s too young.” “Play him now.” “He’ll be a superstar” “Don’t overprotect him.” “Be careful of how he’s handled.”
It’s clear that this caution stems directly from the emotional baggage of America’s love affair with Freddy Adu. He was supposed to be The One. The one who could transcend the game and make soccer America’s sport, all as a precocious little 14-year-old. Now, after a few failed MLS stints, he’s firmly situated in the Turkish League’s second division.
But although Adu may be the most notable young hype case, he certainly wasn’t the only one. There was Jozy Altidore, Charlie Davies, even Landon Donovan. All of those players were supposed to be America’s first soccer superstar, and who know, they still might be. But if they, or Agudelo, is to become that, it will be a work in progress. Because there is no One. No single, pre-packaged youngster that bursts onto the scene and single-handedly guides his team to glory. That happened once, and his name was Pele (you can most count Messi in the next few years as well). But that is simply not going to happen in the United States. The growth of American soccer is an evolution and a process, not a one-time panacea in the form of a young striker.
Juan Agudelo has played three games for the United States Men’s National Team, all of them friendlies. He will not score a game-winning goal or draw a penalty kick every time he puts on a U.S. kit. But Agudelo’s situation is different from Adu’s, Altidore’s, and Donovan’s. He has Thierry Henry as a mentor on the Red Bulls, and with the World Cup three years away, there is no rush for Bob Bradley to immediately jam him into the lineup. He has plenty of time to let him game and his body mature and grow. So, be exciting about Juan Agudelo. Look forward to his next national team appearance. Just don’t expect him to be hoisting the World Cup trophy any time soon.
Maura, this an excellent piece. Agudelo can certainly be an important piece of a talented group, but as of right now he’s not even close to being the next star of American soccer. He’s playing well right now, but as we’ve all seen far too often, strikers often go on a good run and then go into oblivion after a stretch of bad games.
One player who I was reminded of after reading this is Eddie Johnson. So many people thought he would become the next best world-class American forward. And although he has some good years left in him, he’s disappointed a lot of people.
Said the Zen master, “we will see.”