CHESTER, Pa. — When Earnie Stewart became the Philadelphia Union’s sporting director last October, he immediately instituted what head coach Jim Curtin called a “more thorough process when evaluating players, right down to our Billy Beane-type numbers” — a reference to the “Moneyball” architect and one of Stewart’s inspirations.
So when it came time in recent weeks to decide if Alejandro Bedoya would be worth a significant investment, Stewart, Curtin and technical director Chris Albright worked tirelessly to crunch the numbers and look at all aspects of the US national team midfielder’s ability and personality.
It was only after they determined that he “checked every box” that they presented their plan to owner Jay Sugarman and pulled the trigger on one of the biggest moves in franchise history, signing Bedoya from French club Nantes after trading General Allocation Money, Targeted Allocation Money, their first-round pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft and the discovery priority of a player to be named later to the Chicago Fire in exchange for the No. 1 spot in the allocation ranking order.
“The player is a special one,” Union head coach Jim Curtin said at his midweek press conference on 1260263511" tabindex="0">Wednesday just as the complicated deal was announced. “He’s a guy we can talk about his technical ability, his tactical ability, his ability to score a goal, to do defensive work — we can go on and on about that.
"But the important thing for our fan base to know is that he’s one of us. Yes, he’s from Jersey but he is a Philadelphia-mentality guy.”
Curtin didn’t know for sure when Bedoya arrives in Philly, telling reporters that the veteran is still in France taking a physical. He was also coy as to how the USMNT regular would fit into Philly’s lineup, pointing out that he didn’t want to reveal anything ahead of 1260263512" tabindex="0">Saturday’s big conference clash with rival D.C. United (7 pm ET, MLS LIVE), a game in which Bedoya could possibly make his MLS debut.
But Curtin stressed how much of a luxury it will be to have a versatile and reliable player like Bedoya, who Curtin noted is “one of four to five players that [US national team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann] calls in every time, relies on him every time and puts him in the lineup every game."
“Through his career, he’s played as a winger, he’s played as almost a second forward, he’s played as a 10, he’s played for our national team as an 8, most recently in the Copa America in some pretty hotly contested, high-level games,” Curtin said. “He’s shown he has a versatile skillset. … I’m not concerned with what his best position is.”
No matter what position Bedoya ends up playing, Curtin believes the 29-year-old will be able to immediately click with his new teammates, saying, rather poetically, “the game speaks a language on the field and good players have a way of sorting that out on their own.”
It also helps that Bedoya is friends with Union captain Maurice Edu, who played with Bedoya at Rangers FC and the US national team.
Once Edu is able to return from a stress fracture that’s kept him sidelined all season, he and Bedoya could partner together in central midfield since the Union have more depth on the wings.
“I think everyone who’s seen him play with the national team, with his club teams, they know he’s a good player,” Edu said. “He works hard on both sides of the ball. He’s a guy who can create plays for himself and other players. In any team he plays on, he shows he’s a quality player, a dynamic player, and a player who can impact the team.”
Edu and the rest of the Union players found out before Wednesday’s training session that Bedoya would be joining them, with Curtin saying they were “excited” to hear the news. The Union coach also believes that fans should be excited that the club made “a declaration we are really raising the bar” by making a long-term commitment to a 29-year-old Designated Player and fending off several other clubs who sought Bedoya’s services.
“We were aggressive and we got a special player — one that will be with us for a while,” Curtin said. “He’s excited. We’re excited. It’s a really special day for the club, and Alejandro can’t wait to get to work.”
