FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution forward Juan Agudelo wanted to make his Revolution debut in the 1-1 draw against the New York Red Bulls this past Saturday. The circumstances did not aid Agudelo in his quest, though.
Agudelo did not feature in a full training session after he arrived in Boston on Wednesday night. A bit of bike work on Thursday and a light practice on Friday did not constitute enough preparation to warrant a spot on the bench for the date against his former side, according to Revolution coach Jay Heaps.
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This week will be different.
“I think this is a good week for Juan,” Heaps told MLSsoccer.com. “He joined us last week and he only had two half-days of training that weren't real. It would have been a tough decision to have him to go full without having a week with us.”
Agudelo joined his teammates out on the Gillette Stadium practice field for a full session on Tuesday morning in a bid to stake his claim for a spot in the squad for the trip to Houston.
The US international striker must prove his fitness as he continues his recovery from a left hamstring strain. His health and his sharpness over the course of the week will likely determine whether he features against the Dynamo on Saturday.
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Heaps said he plans to monitor Agudelo's progress carefully before deciding whether to include him on the excursion to Texas.
“We're training him this week,” Heaps said. “We're getting him back to see where he is [in terms of his] fitness level. He hasn't played in three weeks, from a fitness standpoint, but he's healthy and he's moving around. ... This week will be important to gauge him.”
