Many American talents have fallen by the wayside over the years, with Freddie Adu of course the most notable name in that category.
Eddie Johnson, Jozy Altidore and Julian Green were all tipped for bright futures, but faded quickly in Europe as they failed to live up to their billings.
Another talent who was touted for big things was Juan Agudelo. The attacker emerged with New York Red Bulls, but made a curious move to Chivas USA in 2012.
He joined New England Revolution in 2013, and Stoke City saw enough to sign him for January 2014. Agudelo left MLS with 17 goals in 85 games – not quite the heights many had expected.
Agudelo failed to make a single appearance for the Potters due to work permit issues, and unsurprisingly headed back to the States in 2015. Having served as a regular in five seasons with New England revolution, Agudelo has now moved on to Inter Miami.
Now 27, Agudelo is unlikely to hit the level some thought he would. Still, he can make an impact in MLS, and has been discussing how his career could have been different.
Speaking to MLSSoccer.com, Agudelo has admitted that he had training spells with Celtic and Liverpool, and ‘thought for sure’ he would sign for Celtic only for the move to fall through.
Agudelo thinks he may have been loaned out by Liverpool had he gone there, but it’s the failed move to Celtic that seems to frustrate him more than anything.
“I had three situations where (transfers) were scratched,” said Agudelo. “I thought for sure I was going to go to Celtic. It was tough. I don’t know if I would have went to Liverpool and got loaned out, but I definitely wanted to go to Celtic. It was a place I was probably going to play,” he added.
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