Alejandro Bedoya Signs with the Philadelphia Union

By Chuck Booth | Aug 3, 2016

Jun 16, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; United States forward Clint Dempsey (8) celebrates his goal with midfielder Alejandro Bedoya (11) against Ecuador during the first half of quarter-final play in the 2016 Copa America Centenario soccer tournament at Century Link Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports /

Second time’s the charm as this time around the Philadelphia Union get their guy in Alejandro Bedoya.

This story began developing late Monday night as ESPN’s Marc Stien reported that the Philadelphia Union are in advanced negotiations to bring U.S. national team midfielder Alejandro Bedoya home to Major League Soccer. These rumors have now come to fruition as the team has signed Bedoya to a contract as a Designated Player.

Alejandro Bedoya recently signed an extension in 2015 with FC Nantes that was due to run until 2019 but with the team signing three midfielders it made him expendable. This opened the door for the Philadelphia Union to restart negotiations to bring Bedoya to Chester.

While at Nantes, Bedoya consistently proved to be of a high caliber on both sides of the ball, scoring 14 goals, averaging 1.4 tackles per game and facilitating the ball across field completing over 80% of his passes. He has also accrued 48 caps for the United States National team so he brings more international experience to the squad than anyone outside of Tranquillo Barnetta.

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Alejandro Bedoya has made it clear that he loves playing in Europe but has always left the door open for a return to America, especially after the birth of his son. After Nantes drove a hard bargain last year to break down transfer talks the stars have aligned for the Philadelphia Union to acquire their million dollar man. They may have waited until the waning moments of the Secondary Transfer window to do it but the team did what they needed to get the deal done.

At first, it seemed like quite the simple deal but alas that wasn’t the case because the Chicago Fire hold the first allocation spot with the Union one spot behind them and the Fire decided to play hardball. The Philadelphia Union were able to negotiate a deal with the Fire by offering them allocation money (thanks, MLS), a first round pick, discovery rights and their spot in the allocation order. Of course per MLS rules we aren’t sure the exact amount of cash that Chicago will be getting.

Bedoya’s salary will be One Million dollars annually, making him a Designated Player. The transfer fee is a reported one million dollars, which is a sizable fee for the Union but it makes sense to acquire someone of Alejandro Bedoya’s skill level.

The one caveat to this deal is that Alejandro Bedoya probably will not be playing in his preferred position for the Union. He’s most comfortable either on the right wing or in a central attacking midfield role but those positions are currently manned by Ilsinho and

Roland Alberg

, Tranquillo Barnetta.

Bedoya will be filling in for the departed Frenchman, Vincent Nogueira in the number eight role for the Union. It’s not a role that is foreign to Bedoya as he has played it both for Nantes and the USMNT. His high defensive work rate that has endeared him to Jurgen Klinsmann will play well for the Philadelphia Union when it comes to the inability of their midfielders to track runners.

Here’s a look at how the lineup will likely look with Alejandro Bedoya:

This acquisition is almost as symbolic as the Derrick Jones signing because it shows that the Philadelphia Union are serious about competing and that Jay Sugarman is okay with tossing in some extra cash for the team to make the proper additions that they need.

Next: Philadelphia Union: A Little Transfer Window Maddness

Press release from FC Nantes below:

"He leaves … Alejandro Bedoya will not wear the colors of FC Nantes this season.After three years on the banks of the Erdre, the US international has chosen to give a new direction to his career. Alejandro Bedoya continue its route across the Atlantic, home to the United States, participating in the Major League Soccer championship with the franchise Philadelphia Union."

Alejandro Bedoya will immediately slot into the starting XI for the team (maybe by this weekends game versus DC United. It’s not quite sure how this will effect Warren Crevalle but he could possibly be loaned to USL or relegated to the bench. Jim Curtin will be holding a presser at 12:30 to formally announce the move.

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