He was once the latest and greatest forward the US national team could and ever would have. He scored in his debut for the US and he looked the part of a true, blossoming talent while playing alongside Thierry Henry in a New York Red Bulls jersey as a teenager. Juan Agudelo was supposed to be the next Jozy Altidore, but possibly better.
Then Agudelo was traded to Chivas USA, fell off of the national team radar and wasn’t able to make a full impact, even with offseason training sessions with Celtic, West Ham and Liverpool.
Now he’s in New England playing for a rejuvenated Revolution side pushing for a playoff spot, and Agudelo has looked the part of young, dynamic forward again, until getting injured last month, which perked new Stoke City manager Mark Hughes’ interest in signing him.
But not much has been said regarding Agudelo’s contract with Major League Soccer and the Revolution or if there is firm interest from Stoke City to make a move during the Premier League’s summer transfer window. So, with all eyes on Clint Dempsey’s return to MLS, Agudelo decided to stir the pot today with a few tweets from his personal (verified) Twitter account.
BIG News: coming up in about an 1 hour follow the kid to find out. @JuanAgudelo
— Juan Agudelo (@JuanAgudelo) August 3, 2013
News is ..............
— Juan Agudelo (@JuanAgudelo) August 3, 2013
And the Twitter world waited for an announcement…But were destined to be disappointed.
THAT -> i just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico. Seriously #ThanksGeico #winning
— Juan Agudelo (@JuanAgudelo) August 3, 2013
There you have it. Agudelo apparently bought Geico car insurance, or he’s just punking us all and keeping us on the edge of our seats because he can. Whatever the reason for announcing a car insurance type, the way Agudelo went about this leaves something to be desired from a young professional athlete trying to make the next jump in his career.
Yes, Agudelo is only 20 and deserves to have fun, as any young person does. But he’s also a professional athlete with the watching eyes of managers around the world looking at him, hoping to see he’s matured and is ready for the next step in his career.
A manager like Hughes needs to know that the next player he signs will make an impact right away because the Premier League table is so tight every year. Agudelo needs to show he won’t be too immature when he signs that big Premier League contract if the time comes and will show up every day and be a positive ambassador for the club.
Agudelo needs to show managers like Hughes and clubs like Stoke that he’s ready to step up and won’t get lost when he finally makes the next jump because that chance may only come once or not come at all. And you better believe teams are watching Agudelo’s Twitter feed (and Facebook, Instagram, etc.) because its one way to get to know what kind of person a player is and when a club signs a player its not just signing them for their on the field performances, but also for what they offer the field as well.
