Following his years at Boston College, Alejandro Bedoya went abroad. He played for Sweden's Oreboro, Scotland's Rangers, back to Sweden with Helsingborgs, then to Ligue 1 side Nantes. The New Jersey born, Florida raised central midfielder of Colombian descent also has 66 caps for the United States, scoring twice. In the summer of 2016, Bedoya left Nantes to join the Philadelphia Union on a reported $1m fee as a Designated Player. Bedoya started every match after his arrival. He scored once in the remaining regular season, scoring a cheeky chip in Ontario. The Union snuck into the playoffs in 6th place, and were set to play that same Toronto team in the playoffs. Bedoya scored what turned out to be a consolation goal, both of his goals in 2016 took place at BMO Field.
In Bedoya's first full season with Philadelphia, he continued with his starting role in midfield. He scored twice, while providing 4 assists. His first home goal in front of the Philly fans came in August of 2017, when he scored an overhead kick against Atlanta. In the dying moments of the season, Bedoya lobbed Chicago's goalkeeper, Matt Lampson, for his second of the year. The Union lost 14 matches, which proved to be too many to qualify for the playoffs. In 2018, Bedoya turned on the DOOP early in the campaign, heading home a beautiful Fafa Picault cross in the fourth match. Philadelphia's captain got in behind to score another goal in Houston in July. In October, Bedoya sent Philly to the playoffs. His match-winner against Minnesota United proved to be the goal that clinched the postseason for the Union. They made it into the final playoff position, but lost 3-1 to NYCFC in round one.
In 2019, Bedoya upped his goal scoring by one goal for the third consecutive season. He scored 1, 2, 3, and 4 in his first four seasons in MLS. He also gave 4 assists. On a side note, his numbers from 2019-2022 are quite satisfying, as he had the same amount of goals and assists for four consecutive years. In April, Bedoya weaved through Dallas defenders in the box to win the match in stoppage time. Two matches later, he cleaned up an easy tap in during a shutout victory over Montreal. On August 4th, Bedoya scored a long range worm burner into the bottom left corner in DC. He proceeded to celebrate in one of the most unique ways possible, locating an on-field microphone and shouting "Congress do something, now. End gun violence," following a shooting in El Paso the day prior. He ended up winning Player of the Week for his performance as well. The Union finished in third place, and were pitted against RBNY in the first round. In the match, Bedoya scored the first of five Philadelphia goals in the 5-1 win. They then went out 2-0 to Atlanta United.
In 2020, Bedoya added another 3 goals and assists to his growing MLS totals. He signed a one-year contract extension, making him no longer DP status. Ale beat Sean Johnson with a swing of his left foot in their first MLS is Back Tournament match. He captained Philadelphia all the way to the Semis of the tournament, where they lost 2-1 to eventual champions, the Portland Timbers. Bedoya found the right place at the right time to smash a goal home against Montreal. He scored once more against Cincinnati on a lovely chip to himself and volley. The Union won the 2020 Supporters' Shield. In the playoffs, they crashed out in the first round against the New England Revolution.
In 2021, Bedoya exactly matched his stats from the previous season. In August, he headed down the lone goal in a 1-0 win over NYCFC. He tapped home a Kacper Przyblyko cross against Columbus in October. Bedoya added one more later in the month, scoring 30 seconds into a match at BMO Field. The Union finished second in the East. They won the first two rounds of the playoffs, but hit a roadblock in the Eastern Conference Final. Eleven Union players were forced to miss the match due to Covid, Bedoya being one of them. The Union lost 2-1.
The following season saw a major uptick in production for Bedoya. He set his career-high with 6 goals, while tying his assist career-high of 6 at the time as well. In the second match of the year, Bedoya scored during a scramble in the box north of the border. In July, he put a brace away against DC United. He opened the scoring with a left footed finish, before scoring a flick on header to make it a double. He scored a goal in his final start of the season, while also injuring himself during the diving header. The Union won the Eastern Conference once again in the 2022 regular season. They finally made it all the way to MLS Cup, but Philadelphia fell in penalties after the wild 3-3 draw in regulation. Bedoya was named the 2022 Humanitarian of the Year for his continued efforts in bringing awareness to gun violence.
Here in 2023, Bedoya has not scored a single goal for the first time in his MLS career, but he's found a different way to produce. He has a career-high of 7 assists on the year. Though, he did score twice in Leagues Cup. On April 22nd, he dished out two assists against Toronto FC. His first assist was most definitely not on purpose, but it again counts all the same. He added a secondary assist later on. In Leagues Cup, Bedoya scored in two straight matches. He stuck the outside of his boot in there against Inter Miami during the introduction of Lionel Messi back in the Leagues Cup. It was also Bedoya's first match in a month. He then scored during a substitute appearance against CF Monterrey.
Most recently, Alejandro Bedoya handed out an assist on October 4th, against Atlanta United. Bedoya tried to put a shot on goal, but Daniel Gazdag controlled it on his chest and scored an overhead kick instead. The bad news has since come out, as an article from The Athletic indicated that Philadelphia does not have their captain, Ale Bedoya, in their plans past the 2023 season. If this holds true, he would end his career in Philly after eight great seasons with the club. They gave him an extension last year for just one year, but they do not plan on doing so again. It seems like a pretty disrespectful situation, as the article says the conversation with Bedoya lasted 20 seconds. Philly fans, rightfully so, are not happy. He is now 36 years of age, but obviously still playing at a high level. Regardless of what happens, Bedoya has been an influential figure in Major League Soccer, placing him at #55.
YEAR | CLUB | MINUTES | GOALS | ASSISTS |
2023 | PHI | 1,930* | 0* | 7* |
2022 | PHI | 2,427 | 6 | 6 |
2021 | PHI | 2,659 | 3 | 3 |
2020 | PHI | 1,832 | 3 | 3 |
2019 | PHI | 2,833 | 4 | 4 |
2018 | PHI | 2,777 | 3 | 6 |
2017 | PHI | 2,509 | 2 | 4 |
2016 | PHI | 844 | 1 | 0 |
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