Union Sign National Team Player Alejandro Bedoya

Image via Philadelphia Union

The Philadelphia Union are in their seventh season, and have yet to win a playoff game. The team has actually only qualified for the playoffs once in its history. This year, though, the Union have been at or near the top of the Eastern Conference standings for most of the season, and currently sit in fourth.

And now, they’ve added a player from the top league in France. The Union announced it had signed Alejandro Bedoya, a top midfielder on the United States’ men’s national team.

“We have laid out very specific goals for our club this season and Alejandro adds the type of quality that can instantly guide us in achieving them,” said Union sporting director Earnie Stewart, himself a former national team midfielder. “He’s a tremendous player in the prime of his career and we’re thrilled to welcome him to the club.”

Bedoya will reportedly earn $1 million a year; the transfer fee to get him was $1 million, too. (Due to MLS allocation rules, the Union also had to trade money and a draft pick to the Chicago Fire in order to acquire Bedoya.) He previously played for FC Nantes, a team in Ligue 1 (the top division in France).

In March, Bedoya was playing so well Premier League clubs in England were said to be interested in him. The Union had attempted to acquire him last season as well.

Bedoya joined the Union as a designated player, which means only a portion of his salary counts against the salary cap.

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