Alejandro Bedoya exercises patience as he plans to make Gold Cup impact
FRISCO, Texas --
Watching and waiting proved the hardest part for Alejandro Bedoya. It is difficult enough to search for solutions to a nagging knee injury and visit five different doctors along the way. It is difficult enough to miss out on the end of the French season and the U.S. trip through Netherlands and Germany next month. It is most exacting to proceed day after day without progress, without the magic resolution to sort things out once and for all.
Bedoya never located that instant potion, but he navigated through that difficult period nevertheless. The Nantes midfielder recovered enough in time to make the 23-player squad for the CONCACAF Gold Cup for the third straight tournament, but he joined the squad last week with the full knowledge that he still had work to do in order to make his desired impact in the tournament.
"I really wanted to play in the friendlies in Netherlands and Germany," Bedoya said before the Americans trained on Sunday morning ahead of the Group A opener with Honduras on Tuesday (live, 9:00p.m., FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports Go). "Those were two games that I thought I'd be able to play in, but the decision was made that I shouldn't even try and that I should just take a rest. It's been a little bit hectic. It's annoying. It's a nagging injury. It's not a serious, serious injury, but it's one that still bothers me some."
The knock encumbered Bedoya enough to force him completely to the sidelines for most of May and the early part of June. He bided his time and provided his knee with some time to heal. It meant he missed a few things in the meantime, but it also paved the way for him to return to training.
Bedoya spent the past couple of weeks trying to make up for lost time. He toiled away earnestly in a bid to ensure he showed up to camp in the proper physical condition and started the process of preparing for the Gold Cup.
"It's weird because, mentally, I'm here," Bedoya said. "I want to be here, I want to contribute as much as I can. But physically, I had to take my rest, a full five- or six-week rest. I just got started two weeks ago. Running around on the field or running around the track or whatever it is, you don't get the same fitness as being match fit or being match sharp."
United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann reinforced the point by holding Bedoya out of the 4-0 victory against Guatemala on Friday and underscoring the work ahead for the 28-year-old midfielder as the Gold Cup cranks into gear.
"Ale is still coming back from a longer break," Klinsmann said. "He still has a lot of work ahead physically to get into the same conditions as some other guys. We work that as much as we can in training."
Klinsmann included Bedoya for this group stage as a way to continue his progress and prepare him for the challenges ahead.
Bedoya remains a key figure this group after his performances at the World Cup and his role as a productive, versatile performer in midfield in the post-Brazil friendlies. His industry and his technique make him a useful component in a side expected to operate more frequently in possession during this tournament.
Those qualities will emerge once Bedoya continues to work his way back toward his desired level of match fitness and sharpness. He admits he isn't quite there yet, but he notes that he continues to move forward with each passing day.
"I feel good," Bedoya said. "I've been training. I've been able to get through everything in my sessions. It's just getting more reps with the ball, more reps with the team."
Bedoya will tick those boxes as the days unfold. He is no longer forced to watch and wait on the sidelines. It is all there for him to take firmly into his hands now as the tournament commences.
