You know what's quickly getting older than the hype surround Juan Agudelo? The people telling us not to allow him to get over-hyped. Look, I get it. Kid is 18 years old. He's been a professional soccer player for about a year. He's only played in five games (including playoffs) with the New York Red Bulls and has only made one start for the United States.
So What If Juan Agudelo Is Getting Overhyped?
There’s no question, there are a lot of expectations being thrown on someone with such a thin resume. But let’s also keep in mind that these expectations are born out of something entirely different than what gave us the Freddy Adus of our past. Unlike so many of the next “it” players to suit up for the Stars & Stripes, Agudelo has actually accomplished something at the senior team level. Sure, “something” in this case is a grand total of 493 senior team minutes (that’s 215 with the USMNT and 278, including playoffs, with the Red Bulls) and three goals.
But it's the way he's played during that limited time that has people so excited. In almost every appearance, he's done something that gives you reason to believe he could be something special. Whether it's making a perfect pass to Juan Pablo Angel in the playoffs, drawing a penalty against Chile or just showcasing his ability to find and create space against Paraguay, there are lots of things to like about Agudelo that don't directly involve him scoring.
It makes sense that the people around him are worried that he’s getting too much attention. They don’t want to see him get swallowed up in his own press clippings. But, really, how else do we find out if he’s for real?
He needs to be tested, and part of that will be handling the adoration. That doesn’t mean the Red Bulls and his other handlers shouldn’t try, but it would be equally foolhardy to place him in a cocoon.
On the field, we need to be even more wary of protecting him. Some expressed concern over Bob Bradley starting Agudelo against Paraguay. But what else was he supposed to do? If Agudelo has earned the opportunity, it would be a mistake to force him to watch from the sidelines.
For every superstar in the making who burned out too young, there have been plenty of others whose growth was stunted by overzealous caretakers. Maybe Agudelo isn’t the real deal, but we’re only going to find out by testing him.
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