The hype machine is running on max right now for 17 yr old Juan Agudelo, the Colombian-born Red Bulls striker who came on with 30 minutes left in today’s friendly against S. Africa, and scored a beautiful goal to win the match for the USA.

CultFootball first picked him out a few weeks back, when we critiqued his play in the Red Bulls loss to the Earthquakes:

The real standout in the losing effort was 17 yr old Juan Agudelo. His movement wasn’t always the best, but he’s quick, has very good control, and plays patiently even right in front of net. He smashed a shot into the post at one point and was a general nuisance to San Jose throughout. By the way, it was his second ever game for the team. You can see he has the markings of a man set for Europe.

The US team looked a little intimidated at first (a stadium of buzzing vuvuzelas is bound to be unsettling), and though they never managed to control the midfield, the defense looked surprisingly good save for a couple of odd-man rushes in the opening stages and the occasional Bafana charge down the wing.

Then Agudelo came on, the man we’d been waiting to see. He immediately got involved in attacking play, holding the ball and distributing, unsettling defenders with his movement, and critically, starting the play that he finished with a blast into the underside of the net. It was a premier striker’s finish, relaxed power right in the goal mouth, as if he were the only person on the field.

He has plenty of room for improvement, and having Theirry Henry around to help guide him has surely helped, but it’s imperative that this boy be sent overseas for further development. Let’s just hope he has a better go of it than fellow Red Bulls alumnus Jozy Altidore.