AgudeloJuan Agudelo-To-Atletico Madrid Rumors Are Nothing New
AgudeloA handful of headlines in the last day or two have people buzzing about Atletico Madrid's interest in acquiring the services of Juan Agudelo, the teenage sensation who burst onto the worldwide scene when he made his first professional start in a New York Red Bulls playoff match and followed that up by scoring in his United States National Team debut. For better or worse, though, that rumored interest appears to be more idle speculation than in any kind of newly demonstrated interest.
From best I can tell, the rumor is like so many others where people start connecting their own dots. The rumor's genesis appears to have come back in December when MLS Director of Player programs Alfonso Mondelo made comments to MLSSoccer.com's ExtraTime Radio that Atletico Madrid had expressed interest in Agudelo, noting how effective he'd been when paired with Sporting Kansas City's Teal Bunbury as part of the Generation Adidas team that toured Europe this offseason.
"The last game against Atletico Madrid, when the two of them were on the field together, the Madrid defense had a hard time containing them, containing their ability to link and play 1-2s off each other; and then when they we running at the defense they were just a handful, so much so that Atletico Madrid has expressed an interest in Agudelo, as well as Brek Shea.''
The rumor then got new life on Monday when a story appeared in the Spanish publication Marca that indicated Atletico Madrid was seeking some kind of partnership with various MLS teams, including the Red Bulls. The article also passingly mentioned the team’s longtime interest in Agudelo. Combine those two tidbits and you have headlines that read “Atletico Madrid hot on the tail of Agudelo” and MLS fans warning the teenager of a life spent on the bench overseas.
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