Alejandro Bedoya has watched as more than a few of his US national team compatriots have left their overseas clubs to return stateside to an ever-growing MLS.
And Bedoya understands the reasoning behind the trend, and said in an expansive interview with SI.com that he’s likely to jump on the bandwagon in the near future – and very nearly made the move already.
The Nantes winger said he was close to a deal with the Philadelphia Union before his current club’s chairman Waldemar Kita torpedoed the deal.
“This is always what I’ve wanted to do, to play in Europe and to try and play with and against the best … When I step on the field against PSG, Monaco, Marseille, Lyon – these are big, big clubs throughout their history and to this day,” Bedoya said. “They have some of the best players in the world. So that challenge in itself is something I always pride myself in taking on.
“At the same time, you get in a certain place in your career where you feel like you’ve done what you could and you’re not getting any younger. It’s winding down and you start to think about different things.”
But Bedoya, 28, insisted a move to MLS wouldn’t be out of a lack of ambition.
“I’m a professional and I’m going to keep doing what I do to always be at my best and to get better,” he said. “MLS is a growing league. Many players — I talk to them all the time — want to come to MLS.”
Bedoya also talked about Saturday’s CONCACAF Cup clash with Mexico, his emergence as a team leader with Nantes and his evolving game.
