Reaction to captain Alejandro Bedoya extending his contract through 2023

Philadelphia Union announced Thursday that they have extended the contract for team captain Alejandro Bedoya. The new contract runs through the end of 2023. The former U.S. National player has been part of the U’s roster since 2016 when he joined on a designated player deal.

Since then, he has appeared in 185 games; 179 of those appearances were starts. The 35-year-old midfielder is currently having one of the best attacking seasons while wearing the Union jersey. So far this season, Bedoya has an MLS Career with six goals and has tied his MLS career assist record, which also sits at 6. For the Union, he is just the third player in club history to score 20 goals and has 20 assists.

In the press release announcing the new contract, sporting director Ernst Tanner stated:

“Alejandro embodies the spirit and passion of this team and this city. His mentality and leadership have had a major impact on the young core that has been so successful for us these past few seasons, and right now, he’s having one of his best seasons in MLS.”

The boys in blue have found some of their best success since Bedoya was named team captain in 2017. Including their first silverware, the Supporters’ Shield, which was captured in 2020. They have locked up their second-ever Concacaf Champions league berth, as they will play in the 2023 tournament. On the national side, he was part of the Men’s National team that won the 2017 Concacaf Gold Cup. Since Bedoya’s debut in 2010, he has represented his country 66 times. Some of those appearances came in the 2014 World Cup.

Below is just some of the reaction twitter had over the past 24 hours to the news of the extension.