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Bedoya scores Nantes winner, Shea makes substitute appearance for Stoke

Alejandro Bedoya Nantes (Getty Images)

By FRANCO PANIZO

U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has had no shortage of praise for Alejandro Bedoya in recent weeks, and that will not look to stop any time soon after the midfielder scored another game-winning goal.

Bedoya netted the decisive tally for the second straight match in which he has played for FC Nantes, scoring the opener in Tuesday’s 2-0 victory over FC Lorient in a Coupe de la Ligue match. Bedoya found the back of the net in the 73rd minute with a low finish following a cross from the right, giving him two goals across all competitions this season for his new team.

Bedoya had recently scored the winner in a Ligue 1 clash with AC Ajaccio.

Brek Shea did not get on the scoresheet on Tuesday, but he did make a rare appearance for Stoke City in their Capital One Cup game. Shea came off the bench and played the final 44 minutes for Stoke as they defeated Birmingham City, 4-2, on penalty kicks after a 4-4 draw that went into extra-time. He did not take a penalty kick.

You can see Bedoya’s goal here (at the 1:51 mark):

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What do you think of Bedoya’s game-winning goal? Expect Shea to earn more playing time with Stoke in the near future? Do you see both of them getting called into the U.S. Men’s National Team camp next month?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. OK, can we lay off Shea for a minute here? The kid just played for the first time in ages. Let’s hope he keeps moving forward. It sounds like some people here want him to fail.

    Reply
  2. Is Bedoya playing centrally for Nantes? I thought I read something about their coach preferring him in a CAM position. It also looked to me like he come up centrally leading to his goal.

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    • He played on the right wing and even some at right back when he first got there, but the manager is now trying to transition him into the CAM role.

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    • Yes and no. Bedoya is not the first choice CAM at Nantes. They have a rising star in Filip Djordjevic there.

      But Djordjevic is expected to move on next summer, meaning Bedoya could very well become Nantes’ CAM next year.

      Since Nantes is currently competing for a Champion’s league spot, that would be fantastic experience for Alejandro.

      Reply
  3. two US wingers who recently made big transfers. 1 is going to Brazil..

    Congrats to Bedoya!

    speaking of how low Shea is on the Stoke depth chart, it also is interesting that he, an offensive sub, did not take one of the first 4 pk shots.. i hope he was the next guy cuz if they were sending defenders up before him.. that’s not good.

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    • What does penalty taking have to do with being an attacker or a defender?? Some of the best penalty takers have been defenders. Chilavert, a goalkeeper, used to take pk’s for Paraguay.

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  4. Bedoya’s goal was off a deflection, not off a cross like the article states. Regardless, being in the right place and executing properly when you’re there is a good thing. Congrats to Bedoya!

    The Shea news is pretty thin to actually be called news, but it is better than him disappearing: let’s hope he continues to get time.

    Reply
    • Everyone is reading way too much into this.

      Shea play 44 minutes beats not playing at all.

      Rates of progress are different for everyone.

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  5. I took a quick peek at a Stoke messageboard yesterday, and fans were absolutely slaughtering Shea. Some even wondering if Shea was some kind of a prank like the infamous Weah “cousin” prank at Southampton a few years ago. Horrible reviews.

    Reply
    • If it’s the message board I’m thinking of I wouldn’t pay much attention. You have to find a site that does player ratings to get a real review.

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    • someone should put a link to the Cuba GC game, because the USMNT might have been pranked as well by the same lanky player purporting to be of EPL quality

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  6. Those GK looked really weak from those highlights. Stoked for Bedoya!

    Thank you SBI for fixing the comments order. I gave the other way a fair chance, but having it back this way makes it clear how much more convenient this is. I just don’t have time to try and read comments from the bottom up.

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  7. I’m glad Brek got to run around a bit, but a sub appearance in the league cup is pretty much confirmation of how low he is in the pecking order. It might be time to face the reality that he will never develop the touch and vision to complement his size and skill. Any move that gets minutes for him would be good, but I’m hardly going to be encouraged about his national team future just because he gets on the grass for a 2nd division (or lower) side.

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      • I think he’s been fully recovered for some time now. Not sure on specifics, but probably near a month. But responding to Brett – there’s zero chance he gets loaned out to a league 2 side. Sounds like he’ll go to a Championship club. Even if he went to a league 1 side, it’s a lot better for his development than sitting on a bench.

    • My initial reaction was amen but in a tough tie like this one, being put in late to go for the win suggests more faith in you — even as a marginal player — than the starters. Usually in Cup games they put on the better players late if necessary.

      That being said, I agree with the general sentiment that coming on in a cup tie is not real impressive. I don’t know who is struggling to make the loans work but he needs to identify a new home quick or he will be low percentage for the 23.

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    • Plus, when Shea came on, Stoke was up 3-1 pretty late in the game, and were up a man after an earlier red card… so they had that game in hand. I didn’t see it, but giving up 2 goals in the last 10 minutes to a team that’s already playing with 10 isn’t a good sign for Stoke

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      • In fairness Birmingham are a decent cup team, won the FA Cup and played in Europe same year they were relegated recently.

      • Goal . com gave Shea 2.5 stars out of 5: “Some decent runs forward but not as decisive in the pass as he could have been.”

        Back-up ‘keeper Sorensen received 1.5 stars and two other defenders only earned 2 stars.

      • …what does that have to do with loaning Shea out to get him minutes to give him a small chance at making the WC roster?

    • I saw an article just two days ago where Hughes poured cold water on the idea saying he couldn’t care less about Shea getting ready for the WC (which is why Shea said he wants a loan), he was concerned about getting the most out of Stoke. I think this appearance yesterday indicates that perhaps Hughes might be giving him more time on the pitch. We’ll see. With Bedoya, Johnson, Zusi and even Donovan as potential wingers, he’s not crucial to US chances.

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      • None of the guys you mentioned are wingers.They can play there but it is not there first choice.

        Fabian, Chandler and Castillo are more wingbacks.

        Shea ,Gatt and to some extent Davis are the only wingers in the picture

        That is why JK continues to maintain an interest in Brek..

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