One more ride in Philadelphia?

Alejandro Bedoya's comments on his future and the "Union Way"

Alejandro Bedoya was a guest on the VAMOS Podcast, hosted by Hercules Gomez. During the 40-minute interview, Bedoya discussed the organization, his future, and the current players on the roster.

Here are two points that really stood out to me and are worth discussing:

Bedoya on “The Union Way,” Philadelphia's version of moneyball/transfer strategy:

"I don't think it's just straight black and white, but there is some truth to that. I take great pride in the amount of success that we've had. And I'm not saying it's since I came here, but there have been a lot of people involved who have turned this club around. Before leaving Nantes in France, I was pitched this whole ambitious plan.

They had never won a playoff game. And finally, we started turning things around—made the playoffs, won our first playoff game, and then, you know, it’s just been a steady climb to the top. We've done it our way, right? The Union way, which, for many people, means a version of Moneyball.

But we're in 2024, and you've seen the growth of this league, and you've seen that, you know, the new expansion teams coming in and the amount of serious money that they've put in—not just paying those exorbitant expansion fees, but also in developing and building out their brand new stadiums. A lot of them now are downtown, building state-of-the-art training facilities... I take great pride, like I said earlier, in the amount of success that we've had, because we've done a lot with, I would say, a little. Everybody's level of success is different. For some, success means only trophies, only MLS Cup finals, right?...

But back to your point about spending, I think, look at past winners. They've always had a big DP or two that have made the difference. Cucho made the difference last year. LAFC beat us in the final the year before, and, you know, they had guys like Carlos Vela, Bouanga, and then some guy named Gareth Bale coming in. Yeah, they make a difference.

I was watching Darlington Nagbe—he's a guy I have so much respect for. What a player. I mean, you got to play with him. He's a fantastic player, but he's been a serial winner in this league. And he's a fantastic player, but an even better person. I love that about him. I always love catching up with him. But I'm looking at him, and he won another trophy again, and I'm just like, man, what if I had the players I had around myself?...

I know guys in my locker room like Dre (Blake) and Kai (Wagner) and others have voiced their opinions as well. But I think we would have loved to have played with one of those guys too, right?

I mean, those guys make a big difference. So I think what we've done is incredible. I'm not going to try to downplay it. We've done a lot with a little, and that's a big credit to Jim, the staff, and the guys in our locker room that we've had."

Incredibly intriguing commentary, but not surprising considering, as he mentions, the commentary of other player leaders in the locker room. As diplomatic as it gets, frankly.

"I'll say it straight: I'm not ready to retire just yet. My body still feels good, mentally, I'm still there, and I still enjoy it, even though this year has been a bit of a down year so far.

Contractually, it's a new phase right now. The club is perhaps going in a new direction, integrating more youth, maybe a new five or six-year strategic plan. I'm not sure how they view it, but you can see the writing on the wall through certain actions.

But I'm still ready to play, and I know I'm still playing at a high level. I've been proud of what I've brought to this club and team...

Over the last three years, I've been negotiating my own contracts and hired third parties to access all the analytics. It's amazing to see that, in my position as a number eight, as a midfielder, I'm still at the very top when it comes to advanced metrics like ball progressions, carries into the final third, and playing balls into key areas like zone 14 and zone 17, which are near the top of the box and in the box...

Sometimes that's what it comes down to, just the age. I get that I'm not 18 anymore; younger players might be seen as more valuable because they have a higher ceiling and could be sold for more. I have no resale value, so I get that argument. But that's why this data is important—I know I can still do this and that. My tactical IQ is very high, defensively and offensively. I can still cover ground. You'd be surprised, Herc."

Again, what else can you expect from a leader like him? It will be difficult for him to hang up his boots; however, if he plays in MLS next year, where will it be?

Another year for the captain? What do you think?

Listen to the full episode and subscribe here: tinyurl.com/VAMOSPODBEDOYA