Alejandro Bedoya just keeps getting better for the Philadelphia Union
By Nick Butler
The Philadelphia Union’s captain has been playing out of his mind these last few seasons. While Alejandro Bedoya is heading to the wrong side of thirty, he has still been playing at an elite level in both creating scoring chances and making plays to help this team to wins.
Usually when a player hits 35, they tend to slow down and begin to feel like they can’t keep up anymore. In Bedoya’s case, it seems to have been the opposite for him. Father time comes for everyone eventually, but Bedoya seems to be outrunning him.
We also can’t forget the hip injury that sidelined Bedoya in the MLS Finals and it was clear just how much he was missed on the field for his veteran leadership and calming presence. His ability to tackle and win the ball, cross it effectively and create chances is extremely underrated at times.
The fact that he can still do this at a high level should help Jim Curtin feel at ease for how he can help control the tempo and control the tempers of the players on the field. As we know, once the game begins, the coach doesn’t have much to do with the way the guys are playing, and he needs to trust that they can take what they did in training and apply it to the in-game situations.
With that being the case with Soccer, Bedoya has to be the glue that holds this team together, especially with Andre Blake being out. Bedoya has to lead this club by example, and I feel like he has done a superb job of it over these last 2 seasons. Maybe Bedoya has finally accepted what he is capable of and what his role is, but he has been a lot more comfortable. It may also have to do with the departure of Jamiro Monteiro, who was the main piece of ball control and break outs for this team in their 4-3-1-2 formation. Maybe Bedoya feels more comfortable having the ball at his feet and becoming a focal point alongside Olivier Mbaizo on that right side of the field with Leon Flach and Kai Wagner controlling the left.
I also believe that Jose Martinez and Daniel Gazdag has given Bedoya more room because of how they play and how they move the ball. Bedoya doesn’t have to carry any sort of weight on his shoulders, and it showed last season when he scored 6 goals and assisted on 6. Not having to be a go to guy and having a strong striker and center attacking midfielder in Julian Carranza and Daniel Gazdag being threats in the middle again allows Bedoya to get runs on the outside and play a short game with Mbaizo and him to create the chances that they have with the crosses. Bedoya had one of the best chances last game against Orlando and was just shy of scoring with the header.
At this point, the team isn’t having the best of luck nor being bailed out on the back end by the goalie. Not having key players in the lineup for some games either, a meltdown and other things that can create a downward spiral has happened. It’s up to Bedoya to be the voice in the locker room to help keep spirits up. He doesn’t necessarily have to go out there and put the team on his back, because I don’t think anyone is expecting a 35-year-old to do that.
Bedoya needs to just be the calming presence that he is been in the past few seasons. As long as he keeps reminding the guys that this just a stint and that eventually, the monkey will come off of their backs and that the lid that’s on the goal scoring will be broken soon and the dam will open.