March 10, 2017
Earl Gardner/Philly Soccer Page
In a recent poll of anonymous MLS players, Union captain Alejandro Bedoya was rated as the league's third most overrated player.
In a recent survey of anonymous MLS players, Union captain Alejandro Bedoya was named the third-most overrated footballer in the league.
That's pretty damning stuff for Philadelphia's record signing and highest paid player, but is there any value to the criticism?
The poll involved 140 players from 21 teams, with only New York City FC declining to participate. That's a pretty good sample size, actually close to 25 percent of the entire league. However, 58 percent of those 140 players declined to even answer that specific question, so when you break it down, only 81 anonymous players identified one of their peers as "overrated."
Mix Diskerud and Michael Bradley topped the list, which included five U.S. internationals out of eight total players. Diskerud was recently loaned out to Sweden, so the "most overrated player in MLS" won't even appear for NYC this season.
Bedoya named 3rd most overrated player in #MLS in ESPN player survey. pic.twitter.com/m7sDAeIfUU
— Joe Tansey (@JTansey90) March 7, 2017
Also appearing on the list was Jermaine Jones with two percent of the vote.
For what it's worth, Dax McCarty was named the most underrated player in MLS, along with Diego Chara, Sebastian Lletget, and Nacho Piatti.
In the ESPN article, there are a few of player quotes for each topic, and I found this one to be particularly telling, regarding the overrated players:
"Michael Bradley is a good player, but not for the money he's getting paid and the hype around him." - anonymous player
There seems to be a theme here with U.S. internationals who are earning hefty salaries.
Bradley, for example, made $6.5 million in 2016. Diskerud, who played 812 minutes, earned around $750,000. Bedoya made $1.1 million and became the first Union player to earn a seven-figure salary.
Even going further down the list, Andrea Pirlo and Jozy Altidore were seven-figure earners. Cubo Torres and Jermaine Jones made a good chunk of money but fell into the six-figure range.
It's pretty obvious to see that players did not rate Mix, Bedoya, and Bradley relative to the amount of money they were earning.
Another thing worth pointing out is that 88 percent of those polled feel as though designated players receive preferential treatment. Bedoya is a DP, so there you go.
Union head coach Jim Curtin was asked about the survey and offered up this quote at his weekly press conference:
"Well, Michael Bradley is on the list, too. If you talk to anybody who knows anything about soccer, those are two guys that every coach and every GM wants on their team. What happens is, as guys... (pauses)... jealousy, I'll just say it. That's what happens. The players who maybe think they're better than they are, or who think they should earn this or that, that's what you see there. I did see the list, and those are great, because, in a Skip Bayless kind of way, they sort of incite something, or bring whatever the Twitter world wants to bring out of it. But yeah, it's silly stuff. I think it becomes a factor where, I think for lack of a better word, it's jealousy. Anyone who does those surveys and won't put their name on something is gutless, in my mind. If you want to do quotes and talk about other players, put your name on it. I'd say to coaches and players, that's the way it should be. I get why it's done because it sparks interest, but I don't like when anybody talks bad about players, let alone my own. That's that."
Regarding Bedoya's salary, only 21 players made more money than he did in 2016.
I'll give you a list of guys who earned salaries in the same ballpark:
Pedro Morales - $1.4 million
Nelson Valdez - $1.4 million
Kevin Doyle - $1.1 million
Federico Higuain - $1.2 million
Graham Zusi - $750,000
David Accam - $770,000
DaMarcus Beasley - $813,000
Roger Espinoza - $800,000
Tranquillo Barnetta - $700,000
Kyle Beckerman - $750,000
Innocent Emeghara - $1.3 million
Matias Laba - $720,000
You tell me – did Bedoya perform at or near the same level as those guys? Everybody will have a different opinion. You're obviously comparing players at different positions and they all have a different body of work. That list includes an injured DP striker, some creative playmakers, and a speedy winger.
Bedoya only played 844 minutes in 2016, so how the hell are we even supposed to evaluate that kind of sample? He played in eleven games total if you include the playoff trip to Toronto. Bedoya scored two goals, bagged zero assists, tried 11 shots, and did most of his work playing as a number eight while Tranquillo Barnetta was deployed behind the striker.
Does the "overrated" label come from Bedoya's USA performances? He famously had it out with former U.S. striker Eric Wynalda last year, after Wynalda wrote on Twitter that he didn't "rate" Bedoya as an international-quality midfielder. Bedoya has always been a utility player, a guy who is capable of filling a number of roles, and that's what made him valuable to Jurgen Klinsmann. He started his career as a winger and then moved inside, but he was never a guy who was going to get you 10 goals and 10 assists in a single season. He does a lot of things well, but he isn't necessarily amazing at any one thing.
Bedoya has 36 goals and 22 assists in his club career. He has two goals in 56 U.S. appearances. He's never bagged more than five goals or five assists in a single season. But how do you compare those numbers with his work-rate, two-way play, and ability to cover a variety of roles and responsibilities? You really can't, because those traits are impossible to quantify.
For me, that's always been the intriguing thing about the Bedoya signing. Did you spend record money on a Swiss-army knife? Does he even have a "best position" on the field? Can he be the guy to take control, influence a game, and push the team over the top?
I don't know. We don't know after one half-season what kind of player he's going to be for Philadelphia. Maybe, if we come back three months from now, we'll have a better sample size to work with. This is a guy who came directly to Philadelphia from France last season without any kind of real break or transition period. High-priced players historically struggle when they join MLS in the middle of the summer. Look at what Tim Cahill and Marco Di Vaio did when they had a proper preseason after adjusting to a new league and new teammates.
If MLS players feel like Alejandro Bedoya is overrated, then they probably know better than we do.
I'll reserve judgment until we see more of him in a Philadelphia uniform.
