Leominster native’s pact with Revs running out
Leominster native is out of contract later this month
After 10 seasons, 53 goals, nearly 17,000 minutes on the pitch, and tons of ankle-breaking memories from his position out on the left flank, it is quite likely that Diego Fagundez’s time with the Revolution has come to an end.
The Eastern Conference finalists made their roster decisions known Tuesday, two days after their 2020 Audi MLS Cup Playoff exit, and Fagundez, who is out of contract as of Dec. 31, is expected to enter free agency for the first time in his career.
Free agency for players with five years of service by age 24 was approved as part of the new collective bargaining agreement between the MLS Players Association and the league’s investor/operators in January
Fagundez turns 26 in February. He is one of five players who are out of contract with the Revs, joining midfielder Kelyn Rowe, defender Antonio Delamea, midfielder Lee Nguyen, and midfielder Tommy McNamara.
The soccer website transfermarkt.us notes Fagundez’s market value is $1.32 million, down from $1.93 million at the end of the 2018 season.
It is possible the club will try to resign the Leominster resident, who moved to the Plastics City from his native Uruguay at age 5, bypassed interscholastic soccer, and became the Original Ten MLS outfit’s first Homegrown signing in November 2010.
That may prove unlikely, as Fagundez has expressed frustration on his Twitter account at not being able to make career league appearance No. 262 in one of the two final regular-season games, which would have broken the club record, one he coholds with Shalrie Joseph.
Should this be it for him in Revolution navy blue, Fagundez does have plenty of memories to hold.
In his debut campaign, then-coach
Steve Nicol had Fagundez make six appearances including three starts. After he made his pro debut in the U.S. Open Cup competition in April 2011, he scored his first goal in his first league appearance as a second-half substitute against Chivas USA on Aug. 26.
And while he made 20 appearances with eight starts in 2012, 2013 saw Fagundez erupt for a club-high 13 goals and seven assists in his breakout season. New England reached the conference semifinals that year, and followed that up with a trip to the MLS Cup Final the following season.
For most of his career up until 2018, Fagundez played as a No. 7 out on the left flank, where he wowed the Gillette Stadium crowds with his moves and helped generate offense.
It wasn’t until 2018, when he found himself thrust into a different role: the coveted No. 10, a more central attacking role where he would be expected to control the tempo and distribute the ball to his fellow attackers in Cristian Penilla, Juan Agudelo and Teal Bunbury. He held that role for the entire season, scoring nine goals and registering 10 assists.
By the start of 2019, though, he found himself supplanted as the No. 10 by Spanish designated player Carles Gil. At times, thencoach Brad Friedel moved Fagun
dez back to his customary No. 7.
In the weeks after, Friedel found himself out of a job, following back-to-back five-goal defeats to Philadelphia and Chicago. In early May 2019, Bruce Arena moved Fagundez back into the defensive midfield at times.
In 2019, Fagundez scored two goals and three assists in 25 of the Revs’ 34 league matches, the first time since 2012 he had played less than 30 matches in a season.
This season, Arena utilized Fagundez in the defensive midfield at the No. 8, but would use him in the No. 10 role on occasion, with Gil out of action until late October with an Achilles injury. He played at the No. 10 for the first half of New England’s MLS is Back Tournament game with Toronto FC before moving back to the No. 8; he also moved up into the 10 from the 8 when replacing Lee Nguyen in the second half of 2020.
Fagundez played in 19 of the club’s 23 league matches in this pandemic-shortened 2020, reaching 261 total appearances and moving into a tie with Shalrie Joseph for the club record on Oct. 28 against New York Red Bull, but did not feature in the final two regular-season games against DC United and Philadelphia.
He did not make the match day squads for the playoff games against Montreal, Philadelphia, or Orlando City, before making the squad against Columbus on Sunday.
He was an unused substitute in that game.
In all, Fagundez played 16,868 minutes in the league, scoring 53 goals with 45 assists. He also made 15 appearances in the domestic U.S. Open Cup competition, scoring once.
He is the youngest player in
Major League Soccer history to play in 250 games, and is the youngest player to 50 goals, which he did in the 2018 season season finale. He ranks in the top five in the Revolution annals for five categories.