FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Although the New England Revolution offense has been slow to find its footing, Diego Fagundez isn't feeling pressure despite a lack of goals through the first four games.
Instead, the 19-year-old midfielder, who led the team with 13 goals last season, is looking to find more open spaces to better his chances when they come.
“I think it’s just been a little tougher to find the spots,” Fagundez told MLSsoccer.com earlier in the week. “Defenses have been the same since last year, everyone’s tough. You just have to figure out a way to beat the defenders.”
There are other factors to take into account as well, the first being that only one player on the team, Lee Nguyen, has actually scored a goal in the club’s first four games this season. Also, Kelyn Rowe, who scored seven goals last season and who assisted on three of Fagundez’s scores in 2013, has missed half of the games thus far because of injury and will be out again on Saturday vs. D.C. United (7 pm ET, MLS Live).
Despite all of that, Fagundez has continued to create opportunities. Has has 12 shots this season, five of which have been on goal.
“[Last Saturday] I got a couple of shots in the first half,” said Fagundez. “In the second half I was trying to get that last touch and the keeper made a couple of good saves on a couple of crosses.”
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Last season Fagundez didn't score until the seventh game of the season, and that after the Revolution only scored twice in their six games prior.
Now that the proverbial monkey is off the back of the offense and the pressure to be the first person to score for the club has subsided, Fagundez believes he will be able to settle in and create better scoring chances.
“Once we got that own goal it was a relief for us, because we broke the ice,” said Fagundez. “Now we just have to keep progressing and moving forward and try to keep bringing those goals in. It’s just a step forward right now and hopefully, soon, I can get that first goal.”
