Revolution Player of the Month, May 2013: Diego Fagundez

May was the month where things really started to come together for the New England Revolution. They finished with a 3-1-2 record, including a dominant 5-1 win over Rochester in the Open Cup. The month ended with a three-match winning streak (again, including the Open Cup match) and paved the way for an explosive start to June.

The story, of course, through all of this has been the meteoric rise of one player. His contributions to the attack cannot be overstated, and it's been his breakout performances that have proved to be the engine for New England's success in May. There really can be no other choice for Player of the Month than Diego Fagundez.

For me, Diego's been a class apart from anyone he's played against in the last month. His intuitive ability to drift into spaces and find the gaps where his skills fit him best is simply mesmerizing to watch. It's also been great to watch his confidence build and build with each performance, soaring ever higher as he continues to express himself on the pitch in ways not seen in New England for some time. When he's on his game, he's nearly unstoppable.

Corey: OBVIOUSLY. Boy Wonder has almost single-handedly brought the Revolution back to life in the month of May. He's proven to be our most dangerous scoring threat and at 18 years old is the most clinical finisher we have right now. Diego was due for a breakout season, and I think it's pretty safe to say that this is the one. Credit to Jay Heaps for finally giving up on playing him as a holding striker and moving him to the right wing where he belongs. Fagundez continues to impress each and every game and the sky is the limit for him this season.

Brendan: Making defenses have to go back to drawing boards and account for your presence is a sure fire way to say you've arrived. Diego covers so much ground and makes so many runs that he's a threat that can appear really anywhere. He deserves this for movement with the ball and off the ball. The arrival of Juan Agudelo will only stretch defensive resources trained for Fagundez, thus enabling further.

Travis: I think we can all agree that it was Diego. Looked the best player almost every night, is very direct and in turn forces defenders to make uncomfortable decisions. Link-up play has granted him a couple of goals and assists and he is getting better at finishing. There's really no debate on this one. If he keeps going like this, he will beat Bobby for player of the year.

Diego's Line: 5 appearances, 5 starts, 3 goals, 0 assists, 387 minutes played; 17 points in TBM Player of the Month voting

Honorable Mention

Bobby Shuttleworth, 10 points: Yes the offense has started to click, but without the defense it would all be for nil. Bobby Shuttleworth has proven all naysayers wrong. Strong off the line. Strong hauling in crosses. Strong making saves. The kid is statistically the best keeper in MLS. In five games during the month of May, he allowed 3 goals. The guy has been a brick wall. - Abram.

Jose Goncalves, 5 points: The Rock. The back bone. The beast. Call him what you will, there's no denying that the MLS's #1 defense has been massively influenced by Goncalves. His positioning, leadership, and sheer physical superiority is incredibly fun to watch. - Matty.

The Player of the Month is compiled by members of The Bent Musket's staff. Each writer selects his top three Revolution players for the month, who are assigned point values - three points for the #1, two for the #2, and one for the #3. Then, points are totaled and the player who received the most points in the voting is named Player of the Month. Honorable mentions go to the next two players in the voting.