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When Jurgen Klinsmann announced his final 23-man United States roster for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup earlier today, New England Revolution fans were able to breathe a slight sigh of relief when they realized that they wouldn't be missing anyone for the duration of the tournament. That might have been followed by some disappointment (doesn't he know we have good players, too?), but overall it's better for the Revs' playoff chances that there weren't any New England names on the list.
Perhaps the most conspicuous name on the Revolution roster who was not on the list was Juan Agudelo. Now, it's true that Agudelo was also missing from the preliminary roster - at the time that was announced, he'd only recently recovered from injury and completed his move to New England, however, and one has to figure that if Klinsmann really wanted to take him on the 23-man roster, the coach would have found a way.
In fact, Klinsmann had something to say about Agudelo after his roster announcement:
Klinsmann on Agudelo: "We wish him to be more consistent. ... He still has to learn that. ... Too many ups and downs." #USMNT
— Franco Panizo (@FrancoPanizo) June 27, 2013
One would easily argue that Agudelo has found that consistency since moving to New England. Indeed, one could argue that the entire 2013 season has been a display of that consistency. His combined league numbers between the Revs and Chivas are five goals, one assist in eleven appearances (eight starts). For New England alone he has three goals in five games (four starts). That doesn't sound inconsistent at all.
Nonetheless, Agudelo does not appear to be within Klinsmann's plans at the moment. It's probably for the best; the striker's meteoric rise earlier in Jurgen's tenure probably hampered his development more than it helped. Besides, Agudelo's still only 20 years old, and he has plenty of time to work his way back into the team and impress.
It's not all that bad for New England, either. He's one of the Revs' primary offensive threats. Other MLS teams, such as Philadelphia (Jack McInerney), San Jose (Chris Wondolowski), Houston (Will Bruin), and Salt Lake (Kyle Beckerman) are losing either key attackers or key cogs in the machine for at least a few weeks. The Revs will be at full strength.
However, Agudelo's white-hot MLS form for the Revs may make him impossible to ignore in a few months when Klinsmann is selecting his next World Cup Qualifying squad. Given the way he's assimilated into his new team quickly and with deadly effect, there appears to be no sign that Agudelo's good form will waver. If he can put together two more really good months, he may just be displaying the consistency that Klinsmann seeks.
For now, the Revs will enjoy having him in Foxboro, scoring goals through the month of July.