2315_isi_bedoyaalejandro_usmntjd111814011 John Dorton/isiphotos.com
Americans Abroad

Bedoya and Wood Receive Positive News Overseas

Alejandro Bedoya signed a new deal with Ligue 1 side Nantes while struggling striker Bobby Wood found a new home in Germany after failing to make a meaningful impact with 1860 Munich.
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
February 03, 2015
10:00 AM
TWO SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS unfolded for Americans in Europe on Monday as one of the national team’s most consistent players was rewarded with a new contract and one of the most troubled athletes received a fresh start.

Bedoya inks new pact with Nantes

Alejandro Bedoya will be staying at Nantes for the foreseeable future after agreeing to a reported four-year deal with the Ligue 1 club. Since arriving in France in 2013 Bedoya has become a regular in the midfield and has helped the club through difficult times.

The 27-year-old joined the club in 2013 as it was promoted to Ligue 1. The club finished in 13th place but was hit with an 18-month transfer ban for an infraction that occurred before Bedoya joined the club. Despite the ban, Nantes has enjoyed a successful year and is solidly midtable in ninth place.

The new contract signifies that Bedoya has found a measure of professional stability. After college he began his career in 2009 with Swedish side Orebro before heading to Scotland to play for Rangers in 2011. His time in Glasgow was short lived as the storied club was hit with a financial scandal and removed to the lowest tier of the Scottish Pyramid. He returned to Sweden to play for Allsvenskan contenders Helsingborg in 2012 where he played well enough to secure an offer from Nantes.

In his five-year career, Bedoya has scored 28 goals in 171 games in all competitions at the club level. This season Bedoya has made 12 starts in 18 appearances and the New Jersey native has scored one goal.

Wood gets a fresh start

If ever there is an American player who needed a change of scenery, it is Bobby Wood. The troubled striker has fallen on hard times at 1860 Munich where he hasn’t even made the bench since October and hasn’t scored since May 19, 2013.

Wood, 22, was a surprising inclusion to the U.S national team’s January camp where he told attending media of his frustrations at 1860 and their difficulties in setting a fair price for him to be sold to a new club. It marked a sharp decline with his relationship with the club he has been affiliated with since 2007 and has scored three career goals for its first team. Wood started last week’s game against Chile and was pulled at halftime after having little impact in the game.

The week began in encouraging fashion for Wood who left U.S. national team camp to return to Germany where he came to terms with Erzgebirge Aue on a loan deal. His new club can use all the help it can get as it sits in last place in the 2.Bundesliga with just 14 points through 19 games. The team is averaging less than one goal per game, and Wood will be eager to help change that sorry statistic.

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