After 10 seasons with the New England Revolution, Diego Fagundez knew it was time for a change in his MLS career. When asked by his father where he wanted to go next, there was no hesitation in his answer.
“When I knew that I wanted to go a new route, I remember I was sitting at the lake with my dad enjoying some mate and he asked me, ‘So where do you want to go next?’ I looked at him and I said, ‘To be honest, I want to go to Austin,’” Fagundez recalled. “He looked at me and said, ‘OK. Let’s see what we can do, who we can contact.’ Well, that didn’t really happen. But three days later I got the phone call and it was Austin and right away I was very happy.”
Fagundez officially joined the Club on January 5. A few months later, he scored the first goal in Austin FC history when the Verde & Black beat Colorado Rapids in Week 2, helping Austin to its first win in Club history.
“I thought Austin would be the right fit for me, and to be honest I was right,” Fagundez told AustinFC.com on Friday. “From the first day I was here I got welcomed by the fans. My family was welcomed and I felt at home. Of course I was able to score the first goal for Austin, which was a huge thing… doing that was putting the cherry on top.”
Fagundez was signed by the Revolution as a Homegrown Player after the 2010 season -- when he was just 15 years old -- and by his third season he was already a regular for his hometown club. He scored 13 goals in 2013 and ended up with 53 goals and 45 assists with New England. But after a 2020 season that saw him become a part-time starter under Bruce Arena, he was ready for the next chapter in his career.
“The way they wanted to play, the way Claudio [Reyna] and Josh [Wolff] expressed the way they wanted to play and the way they wanted this team to go forward was exactly what I wanted,” Fagundez said. “They told me from the first day, ‘We’re going to be a team that has the ball, that likes to play and this is where we want you to play.’ For me it was perfect. It all fit perfect for me.”
Of course his play on the field wasn’t the only thing that Fagundez needed to adjust to at his new club. He had to get to know Austin -- a city he knew only a little about -- after living his whole life in the Boston area.
Since his arrival, he’s been learning about the city by going out to eat. He likes arcades and going out on the water. It’s helped that he’s been welcomed by Austin FC supporters, many of whom Fagundez says he is in regular contact with.
“They make me feel like family and that’s awesome to know,” Fagundez said. “I care about this team just as much as the supporters do.”
But there was one clear winner when Fagundez went on about his new hometown.
“To be honest, the weather is amazing. You can go hiking everywhere or you can go to the river and paddle board at Lady Bird [Lake]. To me that’s awesome. That gives me a feeling of home again because when I was back in Boston I had a boat and I would go on the boat basically every day and hang out with my family.”
Soon some of his family will be joining him in his new home city and he’ll be getting ready to show that he’s an even better player than the one he’s displayed in the team’s first seven matches. As for the rest of the season, there’s clear goals for himself and the team.
“I want to be on the field every game. Our goal is to play good soccer and make it to the playoffs.”
