Fagundez makes pre-game vision a reality in Open Cup win

Whether it’s league or Open Cup play, there’s no denying that Diego Fagundez is having a successful 2017.

The New England Revolution midfielder has been sensational on the field, collecting five goals and four assists across all competitions. This type of production isn’t new for Fagundez, who had 13 goals and seven assists during the 2013 regular season, but his ability to predict the future is something we haven’t seen before.

Before Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 game against D.C. United, Fagundez had a vision that turned out to be true.

“I practiced [free kicks] yesterday and today in the locker room before the game, I told Chris [Tierney] and [Andrew] Farrell that I was going to score a free kick,” said Fagundez. “I had the chance by Brian [Wright] making a good play and I buried it today...As soon as the foul happened I ran to get the ball because I knew it was my time.”

Fagundez has made a club-high 14 appearances in the Open Cup but hadn’t a notched goal until Wednesday’s affair. The local product was reminded of his first time playing in the tournament, which was when he came on as a sub during a 3-2 win over D.C. United in 2011. Since then, Fagundez has shown a lot of growth, especially defensively.

Although he’s become more familiar with the idea of getting behind the ball and making tackles, Fagundez remains an attacker at heart. This is why he cherishes every minute he gets to play as a free-roaming midfielder.

“I love playing the number 10 where you get the ball and get to make plays happen,” Fagundez explained. “It’s the best feeling. That’s where I play best. Whenever I get my chances right there, I have to show Jay [Heaps] and all my teammates that I can play there.”