Hope #3: That Alejandro Bedoya can find his footing in the midfield.
When Bedoya came to the Union back in August it was expected that he would be the piece that would solidify the team’s hold at the top of the Eastern Conference. But it hasn’t really worked out the way that all parties intended. Since Bedoya’s arrival the Union have gone 3-3-6 and lost their once dominant form in the midfield.
Not all of this can be pointed directly at Bedoya. But his play has left a lot to be desired as a center mid and he has not really meshed well with Barnetta. The passing between the two has been a bit stilted and rather than working as a unit they appear to both have differing agendas on how to build attacking opportunities.
If the Union are to advance past TFC they are going to need to find a role for Bedoya. Curtin would be wise to look back at Bedoya’s work with FC Nantes for some inspiration in how to properly get the best out of him. At Nantes Bedoya was given free rein down the right side to build and operate attacking chances. Bedoya has an excellent in-swinging cross and can at times prove his value with a good shot from distance. By using him wide it will open up the center of the pitch and give C.J. Sapong additional space to score.
It does take players some time to adapt to MLS and given that Bedoya has never played in the league it should have been expected that there would be some hiccups. If he can find space to operate he will help the Union in their efforts on Wednesday night.