SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia – As was the case with the US national team, Alejandro Bedoya's 2015 ended clouded in disappointment.
After suffering through the Gold Cup letdown, the Nantes attacker endured injury and a protracted illness during the first half of the current club season. The lengthy stay in sickbay also kept him out of October's CONCACAF Cup showdown with Mexico, as the USMNT regular was forced to watch as the team missed its second chance to qualify for the 2017 Confederations Cup.
By the time Ligue 1 entered its winter break on Dec. 19, a goal-less Bedoya had missed eight matches for the Canaries, who were winless in eight league games and just five points above the relegation mire.
"When I got sick for that month-and-a-half, I had pretty much no training at all," Bedoya told MLSsoccer.com by phone from France last Friday.
Fast forward to the present, and things are looking much sunnier for Bedoya as he joins his first US selection of 2016 to prepare for a pair of World Cup qualifiers against Guatemala, first on Friday in Guatemala (10 pm ET; beIN Sports, NBC Universo) and then Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio (7 pm ET; ESPN2, UniMás, UDN). Including a pair of late Coupe de France winners, the Boston College product bagged four goals and two assists in a six-game span from late January to mid-February.
Reports also surfaced this winter that Bedoya was in negotiations with MLS for a Stateside move.
Bedoya says there was no magic bullet that caused his sudden production explosion. Back to full fitness and surrounded by an improving Nantes side, he helped lead the club on a 5-5-1 start to the new year that put them in contention for a Europa League berth.
"I think it was a combination of everything," said Bedoya. "Obviously, I was fitter and feeling better. Also, we had a lot of turnover in the team, and it took a while for me to get adjusted to the way we wanted to play. We had nine new players, so there's always a period of adjustment."
Now, he's bringing that run of form to the US team just in time for another important round of World Cup qualifiers. While club and country may be two different worlds, Bedoya believes his improved play should translate.
"The game gets so much slower when you're playing with confidence," he stated.
It's a good thing, because the US need a boost from these two games. Not only can they all but secure a place in the final round of World Cup qualifying and put a rough year in the past, but this camp essentially will serve as the jumping-off point for an eventful summer.
"We know in the back of our minds that 2015 wasn't the best year," he admitted. "These are the types of games that can polish us for future games. Obviously, qualifying for the World Cup is the most important thing, and if we take care of business in Guatemala we'd pretty much be through to the next round. But these performances are also coming ahead of Copa America, which is a tough tournament."
As such, he expects it to be a camp that quickly evolves into a fierce competition.
"It's different at the club level; you get a preseason, you get the whole season to work and train with each other," said Bedoya, illustrating the difficulty in developing a cohesive group during these short national team gatherings. "And now, there's some new faces [in USMNT camp], so you have to get to know them and their style of play, integrating them. Everybody has to believe in the same goal and work hard to qualify.
"The first couple days everybody is happy to see each other, but after that everybody is fighting for spots to be involved at Copa America. I think everybody is going to be working hard to be part of it."
While the senior side preps for the home-and-home with Guatemala, the US Under-23s will be similarly dueling with Colombia in a last-chance playoff for a place in this summer's Olympic Games (7 pm ET; FS1). As a guy with family connections to the South American country, Bedoya knows very well the dangers now facing the US youngsters. And like the rest of the US soccer bubble, he worries about the program missing out on another youth tournament.
"Colombia has always been known for having talented youth teams, so they can certainly expect a tough matchup," he stated. "Colombia is not going to be a cake walk.
"Some of these [U-23] guys have senior caps, but they are here in this playoff, so obviously they haven't done enough yet. They've got to get together and believe in each other, because if they don't qualify, it will be two straight Olympics we've missed. I wish them the best."
In a few months, Bedoya is expected to get his own look at Colombia, whose senior team will be the opening group foe for the United States at Copa America. As exciting as that may be for someone whose father and grandfather played pro soccer in that ancestral country, he's waiting until next week to put focus on that contest.
"When I first saw the group, I thought of all my family and friends in Colombia," said Bedoya. "It'll be fun for my family to experience that. But first we need to take care of business with Guatemala and it can give us a little room to breathe with qualifying before a tough summer."
