The Philadelphia Union are buying down the contract of midfielder Alejandro Bedoya, meaning he will no longer count as a Designated Player, per a Monday report from the Philadelphia Inquirer's Jonathan Tannenwald.
Bedoya recently signed a contract extension with the Union that will keep him with the club through 2021 with a club option for 2022, but Philadelphia is buying down his contract with Allocation Money so that his cap hit will be below the DP threshold, Union technical director Chris Albright told Tannenwald. Bedoya will reportedly still make close to the same amount as the $1.2 million he made last year in 2020.
The move leaves midfielder Jamiro Monteiro as the lone DP on Philadelphia's roster.
Bedoya is the team's captain and has been a mainstay in Philadelphia's midfield since joining the club in 2016, starting 102 games and netting 10 goals while dishing out 14 assists in 9,054 minutes. He also has 66 career senior caps for the US men's national team, netting two international goals.
