FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – It’s been 15 years since Diego Fagundez first stepped foot onto the Gillette Stadium field to make his MLS debut, and five years since he last wore a New England Revolution jersey. In the very near future, he’ll do it all over again.
Fagundez, New England’s first-ever Homegrown signing after growing up in Leominster and rising through the Revolution Academy, is back where it all began. After two-and-a-half seasons apiece with Austin FC and the LA Galaxy, the attacker has returned home, signing a one-year deal to represent New England once more.
“I always wanted to come back. I didn’t know exactly when, but I left here with hunger still,” Fagundez said on Friday afternoon. “I’m really excited to be here and hopefully help out the team. At the end of the day, everyone’s goal is to win cups and trophies and make it far in playoffs and tournaments. That’s exactly what I want to do.”
After 10 seasons in New England, this place shaped the native Uruguayan into the player and person he is today. He has returned with the same attacking energy and the same deep connection to the people who helped build him. He’s still Diego Fagundez, but he’s also someone who has grown, lifted trophies, built a family, and written new chapters elsewhere.
If this were a movie, one could only expect the best is yet to come for Fagundez in a Revolution shirt. And maybe reality can be even better. He returns hoping to help the club reach the milestones he always imagined being part of with this crest on his chest. It feels like a chapter waiting to be written – a full circle moment ready to unfold.
“They gave me a lot here. They gave me the opportunity to start my career and to still be doing it years later, and still enjoying it, it’s something that I’m looking forward to. Especially playing in Gillette Stadium,” he said of New England and the fans. “They’ve always given me something special and they have something in my heart that I always keep. Playing at Gillette will be something special and I just want to get that moment where either a goal, an assist, or just even a win, will bring memories. I came here to make new memories and try to do everything I can for this team.”
As he prepares to make a second Revolution debut, 15 years since then-16-year-old Fagundez drew a penalty and scored a goal in front of the home crowd, he’s hopeful, but isn’t expecting a perfect rewrite of the past. The possibility of another moment like that, at home, does give a sense of destiny, but Fagundez remains grounded.
After leaving Los Angeles at the end of last season – on the back of being named the Galaxy’s Player of the Year – it’s been five months since Fagundez has trained with a team. Now joining a Revolution squad that has already spent three months working together, he’ll need time to fully settle in. Even so, the staff has been pleased with the efforts he’s made to stay fit.
“Since my first year in MLS in 2016, back then he was a young talent coming through the academy system, making great steps within the league. Then within the timeframe he’s spent in MLS, just the impact that he’s made in games, the amount of games and contributions that he’s had like scoring goals, making assists, but also impacting the game in the final third, we believe that he can help us,” explained head coach Marko Mitrović. “We had two-and-a-half months of offseason and then the team was together for six or seven weeks in preparation for the season. Now, we have Diego almost five months since he played last. So, we have to be patient and also patient with the expectations, especially at the beginning until he is in proper shape. I have to be fair, I’m very positive with his fitness level where he is standing, knowing he didn’t have team training for so long.”
As he integrates into the squad, Fagundez is aware of the work ahead. He’s already gone back to the streets of Leominster to visit his roots, he’s checked some New England musts off the list, but the nostalgia he’s leaning into most is on the field.
“The most important one will be scoring in front of the home crowd. I think that’s something that I’ve always enjoyed, and you never know, maybe an old celebration might come out,” Fagundez said with a smile.
As the Revs prepare to step out in front of the home crowd for the first time this season, it will be a special afternoon with Fagundez back in the mix. Fans will be hoping to see him step onto the pitch again, and he’s ready to begin the sequel in the place that shaped him. This time, he’s aiming for something even bigger.
