Today in the signing athletes incredibly young report...
The New England Revolution announced the signing of 15-year-old Diego Fagundez on Monday. Fagundez, from Leominster, MA, will be the team's first-ever Homegrown Player, a program developed by Major League Soccer to encourage the development of soccer in MLS communities.
Fagundez played last season with the U-16 team sponsored by the Revolution. He won't join the Revolution until he finshes high school. Players within the Homegrown program can still play college soccer, as they don't receive any compensation until they join the big club. The Revolution will hold his rights, allowing him to skip the MLS Draft when he decides to turn professional.
Also on Monday, the University of Maine men's hockey team received a verbal commitment from 14-year-old Liam Pecararo of the Boston Advantage U14 team. Pecararo is the first 1996 recruit in Hockey East. The Catholic Memorial student credits his coach, Tim Lovell, a Maine hockey alum, for tuning him onto the program. Pecararo will enter Maine in the fall of 2014.
What do you do when you've made your college committment before you've received your driver's permit? Says Lovell:
"Knowing what kind of player he is, Liam will continue to focus on his skill development and will be challenging himself to become the player Maine wants, we want him to be but more importantly the player he wants to be."