Under the weather before the match and under the gun against a talented Switzerland squad, U.S. midfielder Alejandro Bedoya played one of the better games of his international career.

BY Andrew Gastelum Posted

March 31, 2015

6:25 PM SHARE THIS STORY



ZURICH—Tuesday evening against the 12th-ranked team in the world, Alejandro Bedoya was sick. Not "sick" in the superlative sense but rather in the sniffing, sneezing, coughing, best-form-you’ve-ever-seen-with-a-cold sick.

In his post-match interview, Bedoya looked like the Before picture in a Nyquil ad, revealing he woke up with a cold this morning before starting in one of the more grueling assignments in the 4-4-2 diamond.

“I told the trainers in the morning I didn’t think I would be able to make it because I was winded before the game even started in the warmups,” Bedoya told American Soccer Now. “I was gassed already. That diamond is hard work, but I was able to make it through and hopefully I will be able to get some medicine now.”

Yet it was Bedoya who gave Switzerland a taste of its own medicine, producing a convincing impression of global superstar-in-the-making Xherdan Shaqiri—a man sometimes referred to as the Alpine Messi.

Bedoya's attacking vision manifested itself in sublime service. In the first 45 minutes, Bedoya created as many chances himself as Switzerland had shots (four). The Florida native easily could have recorded two assists in the first half-hour, providing such surgical precision on crosses into the box to Gyasi Zardes and Michael Bradley that it appeared more difficult to miss the chances than to convert them.





“I think the first half we did well, in terms of staying compact, playing to our strengths,” Bedoya said. “I think we did a good job of creating more chances than they did and I think they were getting a bit frustrated. At times toward the end of the first half, Shaqiri was dropping all the way back to get the ball.



"Overall I think it was a better effort than in Denmark.”



Click here to rate the U.S. players vs. Switzerland

Against the Danes last week, Bedoya found himself in a very unfamiliar role as the No. 6 in front of the U.S. back line, a role that affords very little attacking autonomy. Bedoya admitted he’s at his most comfortable in attack, but is willing to fit in where the team needs him most.

“The diamond allows me to start in the middle, but go out wide too,” he said. “It’s a good starting point for me. Obviously the last role I played, I’ve never really played so I have to get more comfortable there. But I definitely feel comfortable on the right and coming into the middle.”

Bedoya found himself in the middle quite often. With Michael Bradley creating space with forward runs in the No. 10 role, Bedoya was able to slip in behind with as much time as space to roam freely and find an open teammate. The pair’s work rate and understanding of the attacking channels through the center seemed to mesh well Tuesday night, according to Jurgen Klinsmann.

“Ale, at Nantes, he plays in a central position as well,” Klinsmann said. “But we try to put the pieces together as best we can because obviously there is a Michael Bradley in the middle. And today I think it worked well.”

Bedoya said attacking through the center of a Switzerland team so entrenched in wing play that stretches opposing defenses down the flanks was the gameplan all along, one Bedoya thought the U.S. executed to near perfection before Jozy Altidore’s red card in the 68th minute changed the team’s tactics.

“We knew they liked to play through the middle so we knew if we stayed compact guys like [fullback Stephan] Lichtsteiner and their other full back wouldn’t be able to get up high,” Bedoya said. “We knew that if we could win the ball quick we would be able to find those transitions in behind which I was able to do a couple of times on the right and exploit them.



"The diamond midfield is not easy. It’s hard and it’s a lot of running from side to side and shifting but I think guys put in the effort.”

Admittedly, it was tough, but Bedoya toughed it out. It may not have been what’s best for him, but there was no doubt what was best for his national team. And Tuesday, Bedoya was at his sickest, most aggressive, best.

Andrew Gastelum is a freelancer soccer writer. You can follow him on Twitter.