Bedoya ready to play for the Union
Alejandro Bedoya, the U.S. national team midfielder and recent addition to the Union, answered a question with a question Tuesday as to why he has surfaced with Philadelphia's Major League Soccer team.
Alejandro Bedoya, the U.S. national team midfielder and recent addition to the Union, answered a question with a question Tuesday as to why he has surfaced with Philadelphia's Major League Soccer team.
When asked why Philadelphia, the 29-year-old Bedoya replied, "Why not?"
That drew laughter, but Bedoya got serious. He had played his entire professional career in Europe, and the product of Englewood, N.J., wanted to come home.
"I wanted to be able to be back in the States. I've always had that, always wanted to be a part of the MLS, and I thought Philly was probably for me the best fit with everything that they're doing, what they're putting in place here," Bedoya said during a morning news conference at Talen Energy Stadium.
An ESPN report stated that the Union paid a $1 million transfer fee to Bedoya's team, Nantes in France, and that he would be paid an annual fee of $1 million per season, making him the highest paid Union player.
Two sources confirmed that the $1 million figure is close to being accurate. Another source said the deal is for three more seasons past this year.
The Union had to make a trade with Chicago since the Fire, with MLS's worst record last year, had first dibs on signing an American star who came home from abroad during the allocation process.
The Union traded general allocation money, targeted allocation money, the club's natural first-round pick in the 2017 MLS draft, and the discovery priority on a player in exchange for Chicago's rights to Bedoya.
With all the wheeling and dealing, Bedoya said he wasn't sure that he was going to land with the Union. He said Chicago and the Columbus Crew were also seeking his services.
"I honestly thought I was going [to Chicago] for sure," Bedoya said. "But with MLS, there's a lot of twists and turns, and that didn't work out for whatever reason."
Bedoya isn't complaining.
"At the end of the day, I'm happy I ended up in Philly because that's where I wanted to be," he said.
Bedoya could not have arrived at a better time. The Union (8-8-7) need a jump start. They are 1-4-2 in their last seven games and coming off a 2-2 tie Saturday at D.C. United in which they allowed the equalizer in the 94th minute.
With 11 games remaining, the Union are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with 31 points. The top six teams in the East will qualify. The Union hold a five-point lead over seventh-place Orlando City, which has a game in hand.
There will be pressure on Bedoya, who will likely see his first MLS action when the Union visit New England on Saturday.
"As a team now everybody just has to do their part to make Alejandro feel welcome, and Alejandro just has to play," Union coach Jim Curtin said. "There's no pressure on him."
That sounds good in theory, but in reality much will be expected of Bedoya as the Union look to turn their fortunes around.
@sjnard