"Everything matters," Alejandro Bedoya says. "Some people say formations don't matter or whatever -- everything matters."
The Union captain is leading a team that hasn't allowed a goal from open play since traveling to Atlanta. They gave up three shots to Dallas and two came off dead ball plays, and the defensive strength hasn't cost the attack.
Players that lost their spot in 2018 like Jack Elliott and David Accam have started 2019 strong, and new additions Kai Wagner and Brenden Aaronson have fitted seamlessly into the team on the left. After weathering criticism early in the season, Haris Medunjanin has been in stunning form recently and gives Philly the ability to attack both in transition and with extended possession.
The Union control games, and Bedoya is thriving in a box-to-box role. The extra defensive work he has to put in -- "the diamond involves a lot more shifting than the 4-2-3-1. A lot more shifting!" -- helps protect a back line that must send fullbacks into attack to exploit the width of the pitch, and the captain has to make more -- and longer -- defensive sprints than in the past. And in attack, he is occupying different areas of the field during build-ups and receiving the ball on the half-turn more than in the recent past.
"I've always been a versatile player, but for the last few years in the 4-2-3-1 I was comfortable being able to get the ball straight off the center backs and face the whole field," he says, laying out just a few of the adjustments he's making in Philly's 4-4-2. "Now, in the diamond, I'm forced to play higher up and inside, so my back is to the goal and I'm looking for pockets of space, and I'm expecting the center backs to carry the ball forward instead of me trying to get the ball and finding the wingers or the No. 10 in those pockets."
These adjustments are more than minor. And even for a self-described versatile player, they are a big ask. So why has he bought in?
"The benefit is that we're able to win the ball higher up," Bedoya explains. Philly's aggressive defensive system, with Bedoya and Brenden Aaronson helping trap opponents on the edges, means they have a shorter route to goal after winning the ball back. With Marco Fabian a threat from all over the pitch and plenty of speed up top, the Union force opposing teams to sit back or get buried. Dallas and Cincinnati have both sought to protect space in behind but found that Jim Curtin's in-game tweaks to provide Bedoya and the rest of the midfield more freedom mean there are multiple ways for Philly to come away with three points this year.
"Defense starts up top with the strikers," he says. "Whether one steps to the center back, the other steps to the No. 6; the way they shift and move. There's always cues you go off of, and these instinctual plays you should make as a player on the field. If you read the game a certain way, you're just able to do that.
Quick counters off turnovers such as the opener against Columbus and well-built moves like the one that went left to right and into the back of the net in the 92nd minute against Dallas -- the Union have become a creative juggernaut in recent weeks. But for Bedoya, attack and defense are too closely connected to be treated as independent parts of a game.
"We've shown that even in the losses, we've been able to generate chances; we don't want to be in games where we have to score 3, 4 goals to win games," he says. "But I think the key in the formation that we're playing is to stay compact and limit the other team's chances. Something I've been stressing before games in the huddle: We gotta keep a shutout, let's keep a shutout!"
As team leader, though, Bedoya is not ready to settle after a run of good results early in the season. He looks at where the team is at and sees young players ready to contribute and veterans like himself that can continue to perfect the pressing cues and positioning needed to return to the playoffs.
Being self-critical and evaluating the minutiae of each match help Bedoya to find new ways to contribute every week. He points to the goal Philadelphia allowed against Atlanta United back on March 17 -- the last goal the club gave up from open play -- as a chance to think carefully about how to control the movements of dangerous players around the box. "In that video session, I talked about how I could've forced Barco to stay outside, to go to his left instead of cutting to his right and even then the ball gets turned around," he remembers. "And Jonesy could've stepped closer so that ball isn't played out wide. Trusty could've been in a better position, and then Haris should be in a better position. It's easy to point the finger but it's always a sequence of events that leads to the final scenario."
Bedoya's bluntness, how he shoulders blame and speaks from the heart when others would lean on cliche, stands out as an attribute one should appreciate in a captain. But while he can be open with his words, he is also careful in his actions and understands that he's at a club where young players need guidance from vets. Prior to Brenden Aaronson's debut against Atlanta, Bedoya noticed a few jitters during warm-ups.
"Jim came to me [during the week] and said, 'Do you think he should start?' I told him to go with Brenden. He showed well in preseason, he deserves a chance." So when those nerves came to the teenager as he got his first touches in front of more than 40,000 people, the captain knew what to do. "My job as a captain was, once we went in the tunnel where nobody could see us, put an arm around him and tell him when the whistle blows, zone out, play your game," Bedoya says simply. "We believe in you. You're going to do your thing. And he's been one of our better players the last three games."
The truth is that Bedoya's job as the captain takes many forms throughout a week. He has to keep the team focused while keeping them loose, he has to grow into his new role while supporting younger players finding their feet in a faster, more physical game. He has to provide the spacing and support to give Haris Medunjanin freedom while finding the pockets and attacking zones in which he can combine with a new No. 10 -- the third time in three seasons he's had to learn how to play with a new playmaker.
It's not easy, and it's not flashy. But throughout Bedoya's tenure in Philadelphia the Union have been a team that finds unexpected contributors, and having a captain that is always willing to help others find the spotlight when they are given chances is a big reason guys like Cory Burke, Auston Trusty, and Brenden Aaronson can make the leap to Major League Soccer.
The 2019 season is only one month old, but Ale Bedoya is once again proving he's one of the best all-around midfielders in American soccer.
Enjoy it, Union fans -- his teammates certainly do.
