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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Lee Nguyen wanted another crack from the spot in the worst way.

Twenty-six minutes after watching Bill Hamid coolly cradle his first penalty attempt, Nguyen craved nothing more than to make it a distant memory when he stepped up and scored the game-winner to send the Revolution to a 2-1 comeback win over D.C. United on Saturday.

"I needed to redeem myself after that first one," Nguyen said. "But my teammates had my back, and the coaching staff had my back, and you're always going to be confident when they have your back like that."

It was a night in which the Revolution certainly needed to stay confident in one another, and what transpired in the opening minutes was proof positive of that.

In the 11th minute, Luis Silva played a low cross into the area, where Scott Caldwell attempted to clear it out of danger. But instead of sending it away from frame, Caldwell's ball rolled into the back of the net to give the guests a surprising early lead.

"It's obviously devastating that it happened that early in the game, or any point in the game," Caldwell said. "But the way my teammates picked me up and responded so quickly, the way we played out the rest of the half, and the rest of the game in general, was huge."

The Revolution wasted no time trying to get back on level terms. In the 24th minute, Andrew Farrell sent a long ball ahead for Dimitry Imbongo, who slipped through a pair of D.C. defenders before firing a shot that glided wide of the post.

Another opportunity arrived in the 36th minute, when Kelyn Rowe, who entered Saturday's game with five goals in his last five games, fired one of his patented, long-distance shots from 20 yards that just missed its intended target. Rowe sent another bid from distance minutes before the half, but once again, his shot veered away from frame.

Although the Revolution weren't able to find the board before the interval, Revolution coach Jay Heaps was nevertheless encouraged by what he saw from his players during the first half.

"We had a good conversation at halftime," Heaps said. "And in the second half, we really took the game and created a lot chances."

The first chance they found after halftime came in the 57th minute, after Nguyen was brought down by Dejan Jakovic inside the right edge of the area and referee Carlos Rivera pointed to the spot. But when Nguyen promptly sent it right to a diving Hamid, it seemed as if a Revolution victory simply wasn't meant to be.

"I was planning on going to that side and he read it early," Nguyen said. "And right in my mind, (during) my half-swing, I was like, '(Darn).' I couldn't change it in time, but credit to him. He made a great first save."

But before the hosts could reflect on their poor fortune, they responded with a flourish. A minute after Nguyen's miss, Saer Sene led Diego Fagundez with a long through ball into D.C.'s defending third. Fagundez beat a pair of defenders, then slipped it past Hamid to get the goal they'd longed to score.

"It was very important," Heaps said of the 58th-minute goal. "For our guys to stay up and react well, I liked that a lot."

Needing another strike to avoid a humbling draw -- not to mention a devastating blow to their postseason hopes -- the Revolution attacked at will, as D.C. dropped back in the hopes of squeezing out a road point.

The thought of a road point nearly turned into three in the 81st minute, when Conor Doyle chipped a shot over the reach of Matt Reis. But without the power needed to send it clean into the net, Reis raced back to swat it away before it crossed the line.

Less than a minute later, though, the Revolution picked themselves right back up after Nguyen was fouled inside the area again. And there was no question who was going to take it after Rivera pointed to the spot for the second time.

"It was just great to have the confidence from my teammates and the coaching staff," Nguyen said. "That's all I needed and after that (earlier miss)."

Revs midfielder Diego Fagundez was voted Major League Soccer’s player of the week for Week 14 following his one-goal, two-assist effort in the Revolution’s 5-0 victory over the LA Galaxy on Sunday.

Fagundez, just 18 years old, has scored a goal in four straight games. He set up Saer Sene and Lee Nguyen for the game’s first two goals, before scoring his fifth goal of the season in the 87th minute.

Sunday was the first multiple-point game of Fagundez’s career, and his first career multiple-assist game. His four-game goals scoring streak is the Revs’ longest goal-scoring streak since 2005 when Clint Dempsey scored in five straight games between April 9 and May 7.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Revolution coach Jay Heaps was quick to pour cold water on any notion that Sunday's 5-0 thrashing of the Los Angeles Galaxy on national television was a statement game for his side.

Never mind that New England scored its most goals in an MLS game since September 2004. Or the fact that they did it against the back-to-back defending champions, who themselves came into Sunday's game fresh off a 4-0 trouncing of the Seattle Sounders.

No, none of that mattered to Heaps, who insisted that Sunday's win -- the Revolution's fifth of the season -- meant nothing more than any of their other four wins on the season.

"It's three points," Heaps said. "We're still in the middle of the pack trying to fight away. Every game is a grind for us."

Although the score may not suggest it, Sunday's game certainly was a grind for the Revolution in the early going.

In the first 25 minutes, the Revolution's possession rate hovered near 38 percent, and with the way the Galaxy were making regular forays into the final third, it seemed as if the guests were ready to put one past goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth.

"To be fair, I thought they were the better team in the first half," Revolution left back Chris Tierney said. "They created more chances, but we weathered the storm, which is what you have to do sometimes and Bobby kept us in the game with some big saves."

But just when it looked like the Revolution defense -- which last conceded a goal on May 11 -- was about to buckle, the attack turned the table on the defending champions.

In the 33rd minute, Andrew Farrell played it forward to Saer Sene, who then looked for a teammate to stretch the Galaxy defense. He found Diego Fagundez in the middle, and sent him a quick pass that Fagundez immediately returned to Sene, who ran onto it and sent it past Carlo Cudicini.

"[Fagundez] was putting the ball exactly where he wanted," Heaps said. "That touch to Saer was one of the best touches of the game."

Fagundez, who entered the match on fire with three goals in his past three, would go on to steer the attack in the second half, as the Revolution hit the jackpot in the waning moments.

With the game far from decided as late as the 71st minute, an alert Fagundez caught the Galaxy napping on defense following a curious sequence in which a foul was called differently by two different officials. But instead of waiting for the confusion to clear, Fagundez played it forward on a quick restart to Lee Nguyen, who casually slipped it past Cudicini for the second goal.

"It was weird because the linesman called it a throw-in for [the Galaxy] and the referee called it a foul," Fagundez said. "So as soon as he called it a foul, I got the ball, put it [down] and played it [to] Lee, and Lee just did it on his own and scored."

A two-goal victory against the defending champions would've been impressive for a middle-of-the-pack team like the Revolution. A team that hadn't seen much success in recent years would've relished that kind of result. But the team that played in front of a season-high 19,120 home supporters on Sunday clearly wasn't satisfied with only two goals. Not even close.

In the waning moments, the Revolution unleashed a furious display of offense that saw Fagundez (87'), Chad Barrett (90+1) and Kelyn Rowe (90+4) all pad the lead to hand the champions their worst defeat of the season -- a defeat that had the Galaxy scratching their heads trying to figure out what had just happened to them.

The Revolution, for their part, knew what they did to humble the Galaxy.

"We just made enough plays when it came down to it," Tierney said. "We obviously found our feet a little in the second half and the guys up top did a great job and we kept another clean sheet in the back, which is always a priority."

A statement game? Don't tell that to Heaps.

"We're still grinding," Heaps said. "We just got [above] .500, we have five wins now, and it's important for us to use this as a learning experience."

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- One of the biggest reasons why the Revolution have managed to reel off back-to-back wins for the first time this season can be summed up in two words: Diego Fagundez.

On Saturday, the 18-year-old midfielder scored his third goal in as many games to lift his club to a 2-0 win over Toronto FC. He leads the club with four goals on the season.

Not bad for a guy who wasn't even considered a regular starter about a month ago.

"Getting those extra minutes in and getting confident in the game (has helped)," Fagundez said after Saturday's game. "Then, just going out there, trying to help out the team and being in the right spots."

No question Fagundez has been getting into the right spots during the last three weeks. Whether it's sneaking to the near post on a corner kick, running onto a ball and bursting through the backline, or volleying a deep cross -- as he did on Saturday -- Fagundez is finding a variety of ways to stamp his name on the scoresheet.

The manner in which the Revolution's original Homegrown Player has found the back of the net hasn't been an accident, especially with the club's improved form going forward.

In recent weeks, Revolution head coach Jay Heaps has tinkered his offense to get the most out of dynamic players like Fagundez, who's never been shy to take on a defender or make a late run into the area. So far, the tweaking has done wonders to put Fagundez in dangerous positions.

"The way we've been playing right now is very fluid in the offense," Heaps said. "We're pushing where Diego is. It's a little bit wider and he has a little bit more freedom and so he's getting good in matchups and he's an intuitive player as well."

That intuition served him well on Saturday. In a game that could've deteriorated into a sluggish effort given the rainy conditions and a struggling opponent that would've been happy to salvage a draw, Fagundez made a keen far post run and punched a long cross from Chris Tierney past Toronto keeper Joseph Bendik in the 23rd minute for what proved to be the game winner.

"I wasn't trying to pick out Diego or anything," Tierney said. "I was just trying to put it in a good area ... what a finish on his part. Great side-foot finish."

But the teenager wasn't about to punch the clock after his masterpiece. Instead, he continued to make dangerous runs into the final third, and put additional pressure on the Toronto backline by switching sides with fellow midfielder Juan Agudelo, a certain freedom that Heaps might not have given him a few weeks ago.

"I actually like that a lot because you don't have just one side just to stay on the whole game," Fagundez said. "If you play 90 against just one defender, he knows what you're doing, so you just switch it up and they get confused."

Most teenage attacking players would be content to devote all their energies on the offensive end and put their defensive chores on the backburner. But Heaps is quick to point out that Fagundez has actually done well to track back and aid the defense.

"He's becoming a complete player," Heaps said. "You see him forward and back doing both things, and the better he is defensively, the more he does offensively."

Eventually, the rest of the league will catch on to what Fagundez has been doing during the past three weeks. He knows that his torrid form won't last forever, and he understands he'll have to put in more work each week to find scoring chances.

"It's going to get harder and harder," Fagundez said. "But I just have just to (find) those chances and just get into the right spots at the right time and go forward from there."

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- One way in which Revolution head coach Jay Heaps measures his club's game-day focus is how well they acquit themselves in the so-called "fives" -- that is, the first and last five minutes of each half, and the first five minutes after they score.

On Saturday, the Revolution were up to the challenge in the opening and closing moments of each frame, but surrendered a Lloyd Sam goal a minute after Diego Fagundez scored the opening strike in Saturday's 1-1 draw against the first-place New York Red Bulls.

"I don't think it's (our) mentality," Heaps said. "I think it's concentration. Those situations where you score goals, you are elated and tired. I hate celebrations; I like one or two guys to celebrate. If you ever go back and watch my film, I didn't run past half-field; we tried to get back and defend. That's a defender's time to gather his breath. After you score goals, you have to turn on. It was poor."

Although the Revolution continued their run of success against the Red Bulls at home, it was clear that everyone in the home locker room -- especially Heaps -- was none too pleased to walk away from Saturday's game with only one point.

Sam's sudden equalizer spoiled a night in which Fagundez played one of the best games of his three-year career. He registered a game-high six shots, the most important coming in the 54th minute when he poked through a Chris Tierney corner to give the Revolution their all-too-brief lead.

The 18-year-old noticed that the Red Bulls weren't defending the near post on the previous two Revolution corner kicks, so he figured that he'd take advantage of the invitation less than 10 minutes into the second stanza.

"They didn't have anyone marked on me and Chris played a good ball right to me and I kind of had to do a side volley," Fagundez said. "When they stopped it right on the line, I was just going to blast it but then I saw an open spot that I could just place it in."

The goal sent the Foxborough faithful into a frenzy, but Sam put a hasty end to the celebrations when he grabbed a through ball from Andre Akpan and pushed it past Bobby Shuttleworth for the quick equalizer in the 55th minute.

"Me and Kosuke (Kimura) did a little one-two," Akpan said. "I don't know if they fell asleep for a little bit, but I just found Lloyd and made a good little run in the box and he finished low and well to the far post."

Yes, the goal from Sam certainly pulled the rug from under the Revolution, but the game was far from decided with more than half an hour left for both teams to work with.

Fagundez found two more open invitations to put the ball in the back of the net in the waning moments. In the 80th minute, he redirected a Tierney feed on frame that Luis Robles denied at the last moment. Another chance unfolded in stoppage time, when Fagundez ripped a shot that flew over the bar.

"His positioning was great," Tierney said. "When Diego's on and gets running at people, he's tough to defend. When he's playing like he did tonight, we have to keep getting him the ball in good spots."

Despite the host of chances they gathered late to stake a win, Tierney could only lament the missed opportunity to collect four points from the two-game home set.

"It seemed (like) a little breakdown, a few little short one-twos," Tierney said of Sam's 55th minute goal. "We always stress the first five (minutes) after either the half, the start of the game, or scoring a goal and obviously we didn't do a good enough of a job of taking care of those five minutes."

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Even as one of the faces of the Revolution franchise, 18-year-old Homegrown Player Diego Fagundez has never been one to take first team minutes for granted.

He knows that nothing is earned without hard work. Without determination. Without putting in the maximum effort, especially during weekly training sessions.

So whenever he sees his named penciled into the starting XI, as he did on Saturday against FC Dallas, Fagundez soaks up every minute of it.

“I was loving it [the playing time],” Fagundez said after the game. “I got 80-something minutes and it felt like I had been playing for a while. The training’s been [going] well for me, so once I stepped on the field, it was game-on for me.”

In 85 minutes of action, Fagundez provided a potent presence on a squad that was starving for its first goal since their season opener three weeks ago in Chicago.

In the 34th minute, the teenager claimed one of the Revolution’s best scoring chances of the afternoon when he collected a pass from Jerry Bengtson and slid into the area to fire a quick shot on Raul Fernandez. But even though Fernandez dove to make the stop, and the Revolution ultimately fell 1-0, it was the kind of creative spark head coach Jay Heaps was looking for when he penciled in his young playmaker.

“[We put in] Diego for a little more offense,” Heaps said after Saturday’s game. “I thought he brought it tonight. I thought Diego did alright, a couple turnovers, but overall it was positive in what he was trying to do.”

And he did it out of his customary position, too. Typically, Fagundez plays on the right or inside as a withdrawn forward. But for Saturday’s contest, Heaps deployed him out on the left, hoping to give Dallas a different look.

While the switch may have given the Dallas defenders a few problems, it suited Fagundez just fine. He completed 80 percent of his passes, and more importantly, helped strengthen the attack as the game progressed.

“I’m really comfortable [playing on the left wing],” Fagundez said. “I like going one on one against defenders or moving around, especially when you have a lot of good players like Juan [Toja] and Lee [Nguyen] and Ryan [Guy] and Jerry [Bengtson] up top. We can move around and get open.”

About the only problem Heaps faced with Fagundez on the field was when to take him off, given that the talented teenager hadn’t played a full game since last season.

“He hadn’t played 90 yet [this season],” Heaps said. “So I knew he was tired, but he seemed so positive in what he was doing -- a lot of what he was trying to do -- so I didn’t want to take him out too soon.”

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Most high school seniors never get the chance to sign a professional sports contract. All the more rare is the instance when it happens twice before graduation.

But on Wednesday, 18-year-old Diego Fagundez put pen to paper for the second time in three years, signing a multi-year extension with the New England Revolution. Terms of the deal were not disclosed by the club, per league and club policy.

Fagundez, who attends night classes at Fitchburg High School, originally signed with the club in November 2010 at age 15 following a sensational two seasons in the Revolution Youth Academy.

In 27 MLS games, he’s scored four goals and added three assists and has become one of the most recognizable faces of the franchise thanks to his creative flair on the field and trademark mohawk haircut.

“He’s a guy that we wanted to try to lock in for the ... I say the long-term, even (though) when his current deal expires, he’ll still be a young player,” Revolution General Manager Michael Burns said on Wednesday. “The timing was just right for us, and obviously it was right for him.”

The same could’ve been said at the time the club originally came to terms with him in November 2010. As one of the country’s most promising prospects in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, the club knew it had to act quickly before he was lured overseas.

Entering his third professional season, the front office realized it would be beneficial to negotiate with their teenage sensation. Even though he had just turned 18 last month, Burns knew there was interest abroad.

Given that, the Revolution general manager admitted that he was somewhat surprised that he was able to re-sign the talented teenager before his initial deal expired.

“A little bit, given that he had another year after this,” Burns said. “I wasn’t sure which route he would want to go, but we’re obviously pleased that he wanted to remain here.”

According to Fagundez, who was born in Uruguay before he and his family moved to the U.S. when he was five, staying local was one of the primary reasons behind his decision to re-sign.

“I like the environment here, and my family (does too),” Fagundez said on Wednesday. “It’s a nice country and I just need to get all my stuff sorted out. It’s kind of hard to just grab all of your stuff and just move away."

Fagundez has come a long way since his MLS debut -- a debut that saw him score and set up a penalty in the waning minutes against Chivas USA on August 6, 2011.

Although he hasn’t become a fixture in Jay Heaps first XI, the 18-year-old’s ability to inject life into the attack through his creativity and cunning runs is often the hallmark of a player on the precipice of greater success.

“The collective feeling amongst the organization is that he obviously has an upside,” Burns said. “Now it’s up to him to find a way to make it as difficult as he can on Jay to play as often and regularly as he can.”

Fagundez understands he could have tested the international waters and sought to find a place where he could get regular playing time. While he was comfortable in his current role with the Revolution, he admitted that his decision to sign on the dotted line wasn’t a hasty one.

The Revolution announced the signing of 18-year-old Diego Fagundez, the team’s first-ever Homegrown player, to a multi-year contract extension.

“We’re pleased that Diego has made the commitment to remain in New England,” Revolution General Manager Michael Burns said. “While he’s only 18, we believe he has a very bright future with our club and in Major League Soccer.”

Fagundez became the third-youngest player (15 years, 273 days) to sign an MLS contract when he signed with the Revs on November 15, 2010. Fagundez, who was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, moved to Leominster, Mass. when he was five.

He made his MLS debut on Aug. 6, 2011 against Chivas, scoring his first career goal in that game. He was the second-youngest player to score a goal in MLS history (16 years, 173 days).

Fagundez has made 27 appearances (11 starts) with the Revs, scoring four goals.

The 2012 season couldn’t come soon enough for the Revolution.

After a dismal 2011 that saw them finish with a franchise-low five wins and a spot at the bottom of the Eastern Conference table, everyone from the players, management and fans was anxious to put the season behind them and look toward the future.

But before the organization could set its sights on the following season, it realized changes would have to be made.

The first -- and most dramatic -- was the decision to part ways with long-time manager Steve Nicol. Although the affable coach led the team to eight consecutive playoff appearances from 2002-2009, back-to-back losing seasons spelled the end of the Nicol Era in Foxboro less than three days after the season finale.

Following Nicol’s exit, the Revolution restructured its front office by tapping former COO Brian Bilello to succeed Sunil Gulati as President and naming former VP of Player Personnel Michael Burns to the general manager’s post. Though neither is a stranger to the organization, the appointments were designed to give the front office greater transparency.

The first order of business for the duo? Finding a new head coach. After weeks of interviews, the team went with another familiar face, former Revolution defender Jay Heaps. And while Heaps may not have been the most experienced candidate, his work ethic and modern approach to game preparation were enough for the organization to hand him the head coaching reins.

With only eight weeks to revamp the roster prior to the start of the preseason, Heaps hit the ground running. Veterans Pat Phelan, Ryan Cochrane and Kheli Dube had their options declined, while international signings Rajko Lekic, Milton Caraglio and Monsef Zerka were allowed to take their services elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Heaps and the front office made sure they locked up perennial All-Star Shalrie Joseph and the reliable Matt Reis for the 2012 season. With two proven veterans on board, the team began to build around them.

It started with the addition of midfielder Clyde Simms in Stage 2 of the Re-Entry Process. From there, the team added center back John Lozano and midfielder/forward Fernando Cardenas, both from Colombia. Then came the SuperDraft, which opened the door for the team to select the technically-sound Kelyn Rowe with the third overall pick.

But the moves didn’t end on draft day. To sharpen the attack up top, the team recruited another Colombian -- Jose Moreno -- and former Bayern Munich reserve striker Saer Sene. Although doubts were cast about Moreno after reports in Colombia surfaced that he wanted to remain in his native country, the Revolution insist that he will join the team shortly.

The moves worked wonders in the preseason as witnessed by the Revolution winning six of seven contests. And while the squad still has room to improve -- particularly on defense, where rookie Tyler Polak hasn’t taken over the left back spot as quickly as anticipated -- the team has claimed something it was desperate to find last year, confidence.

It may be too early to tell how the changes made in the winter will impact the Revolution in the spring and summer. But the returns thus far have been promising.

During the FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup, a four-team preseason tournament, Rowe has shown the skills to be a game-changer. Lozano became a strong and steadying presence in the back. Simms has proven a capable partner alongside Joseph in the center. Sene has shown flashes of potential by getting into good positions. That, along with solid performances from Joseph, Reis and 17-year-old Homegrown sensation Diego Fagundez have brought a renewed sense of optimism to Foxboro in the aftermath of last season’s failures.

It’s taken a particularly active offseason to rebuild the Revolution -- so much so that Burns often quipped that there was no offseason for him and Heaps. But the parts that the pair has assembled -- including recently-signed midfielder/forward Lee Nguyen -- during the winter has put the squad in a position to extend their season come autumn.

The 2012 season is right around the corner. And for everyone involved, it’s about time.

Brian O'Connell is covering the Revolution for ESPNBoston.com. He is the co-founder of New England Soccer Today (www.nesoccertoday.com), which covers professional soccer within New England. He can be reached at BOConnell21@aol.com.

ESPNHS is honoring 36 teen athletes this week in its 18 under 18 package. From superstars to those who inspire with their ability to overcome obstacles, they pick 18 male and 18 female athletes who are doing remarkable things on the field, in the classroom and in their communities.

Among those being honored is 17-year-old Revolution forward Diego Fagundez.

Twenty-four minutes.

That's all it took for the 17-year-old Diego Fagundez -- a sophomore at Leominster (Mass.) -- to prove he deserved a spot on this list. In his MLS debut for the New England Revolution against Chivas USA on Aug. 6, the Uruguay native entered in the 66th minute and almost immediately drew a penalty kick, which was converted by a teammate. In the 86th minute, he tallied his first professional goal.

Of course, those 24 minutes were really just a glimpse of the talent that convinced the Revolution to sign him as a 15-year-old. A decade earlier, Fagundez and his family moved from Montevideo, Uruguay, to Leominster. His father, Washington, played professionally in his homeland, although he was a goalkeeper and Diego is more of an attacking midfielder.

At 5-foot-8, 130 pounds, Fagundez relies on his speed and technical ability to thrive on the field. Despite his slight frame, he is not scared to mix it up with bigger players. In a game against Columbus in October, Fagundez inflicted some pain on 6-foot-4, 190-pound defender Chad Marshall, who suffered a cut and had to leave the game to receive medical attention after colliding with Fagundez as they went for a header.

Fagundez was later diagnosed with a mild concussion. That injury is behind him now, and just in time, as the MLS season is fast approaching. With a new coach at the helm for the Revolution (Jay Heaps), the 17-year-old Fagundez will look to impress in the preseason in hopes of earning more regular playing time in his second full season as a professional.

Click HERE to read about the other male athletes and here to read about the female athletes.

ESPN Boston Radio's Adam Jones caught up recently with Diego Fagundez, the Revolution's 16-year old rookie forward to talk about what it's like playing in MLS at such a young age.

Click HERE to listed to the podcast.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- For most 16-year-olds, obtaining a driver's license ranks among the top moments of their young lives. But Diego Fagundez doesn't care much about that.

He has his learner's permit, but Fagundez hasn't yet taken the driver's-ed courses needed to apply for a license. So, for now, Fagundez, the 16-year-old striker for the New England Revolution, gets a ride from his parents to the team's training sessions at Gillette Stadium from the family home in Leominster, Mass.

The arrangement isn't so bad.

"I let my parents drive in the morning so I can sleep an extra hour on the way in," Fagundez said after a recent practice. "On the way back, I'll drive."

By all appearances, Fagundez is a regular teen. He sports a Mohawk that makes his 5-foot-8 frame (that's according to the Revolution's website; he looks more like 5-6) seem a few inches taller. After training, Fagundez returns home and typically picks up the Xbox controller to play "FIFA" or hangs out with friends who are on summer break. During the fall, Fagundez attends Leominster High School, where he'll enter his sophomore year in September. He doesn't play for the school soccer team, however.

He's a professional.

A little more than a year ago, Fagundez, then 15, was signed by the Revolution as a "Home Grown Player." He was the youngest player to sign with a Major League Soccer team since former teenage sensation Freddy Adu, who was drafted by D.C. United at age 14 in 2004.

Last Saturday, Fagundez made his professional debut in the Revolution's 3-2 loss to Chivas USA at Gillette. He entered in the 66th minute and had an immediate impact. About two minutes into his pro career, Fagundez worked to earn a penalty kick, which Shalrie Joseph converted for a goal. Then in the 86th minute, Fagundez tallied his first goal. He fielded Kevin Alston's long arching pass, turned a Chivas defender inside out and beat goalkeeper Dan Kennedy with a left-footer.

It was the first step in what promises to be a long, successful career for Fagundez. However, for as much as things have come naturally to the teenage star, now the challenge begins.

"You look at teenage phenoms and some of them have hit their peaks at 15, 17 years old, then at 25, you never hear of them again," said Mike Burns, Revolution vice president of player personnel. "Some guys develop earlier and others develop later. Some guys that might not be as advanced at 17 might become a fantastic player by the time they're 25. You never know.

"We hope we have [Fagundez] on the right track so that he's not one of those kids you don't hear about 10 years from now."

Click HERE to read the rest of this story

ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss catches up with the New England Revolution's 16-year old, home-grown forward Diego Fagundez, who scored a goal in his debut with the Revs last weekend against Chiva USA.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Forget the fact that the Revs' first-ever Designated Player Milton Caraglio made his debut Saturday night. In fact, you can even forget that the Revs lost 3-2 to Chivas USA.

The stage belonged to 16-year-old Diego Fagundez, who not only became the first Revs Homegrown Player to make his MLS debut, but also scored a brilliant goal 20 minutes into the game (check out the video above).

“We had planned to play him at some stage today,” Revolution manager Steve Nicol said. “It was a no-brainer to bring him on. He did a fantastic job.”

Not that it was entirely unexpected. The Leominster, Mass., native, who lit up the 2010-11 U.S. Soccer Development Academy season with 21 goals and 15 assists, earned a spot on the senior team bench after the Development season concluded.
In each game, the teenager watched his older teammates from the bench, catching a glimpse of MLS action from a safe distance.

But on Saturday night, with the Revs down two goals and desperate to get one on the board before it was too late, Nicol decided it was time to give the 5-foot-8, 125-pound teenager a look against players much older and stronger. It was a call that caught the kid by surprise.

“Right there, I was like, ‘Oh my God. I can’t believe this,' " Fagundez said. “[I was] really excited when he told me that. [The] first thing I thought was ‘I’m going to have to try and help the team score a goal.’ ”

And that’s exactly what Fagundez did on one of his very first touches of the game. With the Revs down 2-0, Fagundez masterfully set up the Revs’ first goal of the game only two minutes into his MLS debut.

“Benny slapped the ball to me and I faked the pass into the middle,” Fagundez said. “I just took the [defender] and he just caught me from behind and I just went down.”

Referee Mark Kadlecik pointed to the spot immediately, and seconds later Shalrie Joseph blasted it by Dan Kennedy to give the Revs life with just over 20 minutes to go.

While Chivas USA reclaimed their two-goal cushion minutes later when Alejandro Moreno beat Matt Reis in the 80th minute, the fireworks for Fagundez were far from over.

With the Revs down 3-1 in the final minutes of regulation, Kevin Alston launched a long ball toward Fagundez, who grabbed it, turned his defender and unleashed a brilliant shot that squeaked inside the post to make it a one-goal game.

“As soon as I saw the ball go into the net, I was like ‘Oh my God,' " Fagundez said.

“The first thing I did [after] is do a heart [hand symbol] to my family in the club seats,” he said.

Although the defeat was tough to take for the Revs, whose record dropped to 4-10-9 (21 points), the bright spot was clearly Fagundez’s impressive showing before the home crowd.

And while it would be tempting to pencil the youngster’s name into the starting lineup, Nicol said he isn’t convinced that Fagundez is ready for a full 90.

“It’s all timing,” Nicol said. “Things were settled for him tonight and we were obviously getting everything forward. So it was a good time for him to come on.”

Nevertheless, Nicol, who said that Fagundez had a “footballer’s brain,” was impressed with his talented teenager, especially in light of the work that the youngster has put into training during the past three weeks.

“He’s doing all he can to get into the game,” Nicol said. “It was obviously a great night for him.”

Even though Fagundez had a dream start to his MLS career, the youngest member of the team wasn’t about to concede that he’s earned a spot in the Revs’ starting XI.

“I don’t know,” Fagundez said of getting a spot in the lineup. “I’m going to keep working hard and see what happens.”

NOTES:

-- At 16-years-old, Fagundez became the youngest player in Revolution history to score a goal. In fact, he became the second-youngest goal scorer in MLS history, with only Freddy Adu scoring his first MLS goal at a younger age (14).

-- Shalrie Joseph’s 69th-minute goal was his team-leading seventh of the season, as well as his fourth from the penalty spot.

-- With the loss, the Revs' record at home against Chivas USA dropped to 4-2-1 all-time, with the Revs dropping their last two contests against the Goats at Gillette Stadium.

-- For the second time this season, Chivas scored three goals against the Revs. On April 30, the Goats throttled the Revs at The Home Depot Center, 3-0.

-- Saturday night’s match concludes the regular-season series between the Revs and Chivas. The Revs went 0-2-0 against the Goats, and marked the second consecutive year that they have have dropped the season series.

-- For the second straight game, Alejandro Moreno scored against the Revs. During the April 30 game, Moreno tallied in the 57th minute for the Goats' third goal of the game. On Saturday night, Moreno scored in the 31st and 80th minutes to lead the Goats to victory.

-- The Revs' loss ended their three-game unbeaten streak (1-0-2), and also marked the second straight home game that they allowed their opponent to score three goals against them.

-- Striker Rajko Lekic, who had started the last 17 games for the Revs, sat out Saturday night’s match due to a toe injury.

-- Four days after the announcement of his signing, the Revs' first-ever designated player, Milton Caraglio, made his MLS debut. Wearing the number 9, the 22-year-old Argentinian played 62 minutes and launched two shots, with one on frame.

-- With the loss, the Revs' record drops to 4-10-9, and ensures that the Revs will finish with a double-digit loss total for the fourth straight season. Last year, the Revs went 9-16-5, and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2001.

-- With starting center back A.J. Soares out due to red-card suspension, Ryan Cochrane filled in for the rookie defender.

-- With the loss, the Revs’ home record drops below .500, with their record at Gillette Stadium standing at 3-4-4.

Brian O'Connell is covering the Revolution for ESPNBoston.com. He is the co-founder of New England Soccer Today (www.nesoccertoday.com), which covers professional soccer within New England. He can be reached at BOConnell21@aol.com.