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Alejandro Bedoya and Eric Wynalda clash on Twitter

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Alejandro Bedoya has never been one to withhold his thoughts, especially on social media.

Wednesday was no different, as Bedoya got into a Twitter altercation with former U.S. Men’s National Team forward Eric Wynalda. The spat began when Wynalda stated that he believed there are “many [players] who are better” than the Philadelphia Union midfielder.

That is when Bedoya fired back.

https://twitter.com/AleBedoya17/status/773529336611803136

Wynalda sent one last fiery response before Bedoya went off.

Bedoya played 66 minutes in the USMNT’s 4-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago on Tuesday night before he was replaced by Paul Arriola.

What do you make of the Twitter feud? Is Wynalda’s criticism of Bedoya fair?

Share your thoughts belo.

Comments

  1. Eric Wynalda is a pompous ass whose ego is so outsized that he has spent the last 20 years trying to figure out ways to make it clear that he’s still the greatest player ever to don a US shirt without saying so directly. He deserves every inch of humiliation he gets, right down to his wife cheating on him with a teammate.

    That said – Bedoya probably could have been smarter about this. Instead of waging a twiiter hissy fight, why not release a tell-all book and make some money or something? Anything, but don’t step into the media arena. It’s not your home turf. Your home turf is the soccer pitch, where it’s safe to say any single player in the top 100 in the US player pool could easily play circles around anyone from the ’98 team. That’s just a a fact of life.

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  2. Bedoya is the realist/ pessimist’s choice for a starting XI spot in the midfield. An optimist will always want Johnson or Nagbe or Zardes or a young hungry guy with more offensive potential and nothing to lose. I do think it is wrong to think in terms of you either get creativity or you get hard work, but not both. What you want is hard work and a balanced game and Bedoya skews pretty hard to the defensive. Zardes plays a more balanced game when he is in the midfield which is why he gets starts when healthy. Not to provoke anyone, but Bedoya would have more of a future if he could master the fullback position.

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  3. Bedoya is in the Wando category …..not good enough(and nowhere near as good as Wynalda). I’m glad someone is saying it, its ridiculous some of these guys are sniffing the national team. We have arguably our best player playing left back. Lets find someone, anyone else to play there and put Fab Jonson at RM.

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  4. Who else here used to watch Fox Football Fone-In back in the day.

    Love him or hate him we need him to get people talking about soccer. Controversy equals more eye balls. If Wynalda is American soccers Skip Bayless lets find a Stephan A Smith type and start the show up again. That would be soooo much better to watch than Espn Fc.

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    • I’m glad you referenced this. Wynalda single-handedly ruined FFF after replacing Steven Cohen and likely was the reason the show was cancelled.

      Wynalda displayed his horrific style of debating by taking all sides of the debate. The dude is flat out annoying.

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    • This too have a long history. Wynalda has said more than once that Bedoya is not good enough for the USMNT and keeps questioning why is is even on the team (not even starting 11). This is nothing new. You can find multiple things about Wynalda and Bedoya.

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    • It is weird though, now that you mention it. I recall a pre-game commentary sometime in the past year or so where Wynalda referenced Bedoya’s hairstyle saying something to the effect: “I like where’s at on the pitch, but I don’t know about this hair selection.”

      I guess I didn’t pay it any mind but looking back, does reveal some amount of under the surface issue.

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  5. Say what you will about Wynalda’s rather healthy opinion of himself, but what he actually said about Bedoya — “there are many that rate him- I believe there are many who are better” — wasn’t the kind of criticism that warrants the kind of response that Bedoya gave it. I need to learn more about the history between these two, because a really bad history is the only thing that can explain Bedoya’s reaction.

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    • Wynalda and Bedoya have a lot of history. Wynalda has been on record that he does think much of him as a player and doesn’t think he belongs on the USMNT. Google it. Hell, he gave an interview in Philly about 3 weeks ago regarding Bedoya when he was about to move to Philly and slammed him. He has been riding him for a while. HOWEVER, he is entitled to do so as a PAID SOCCER PUNDIT.

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  6. I actually like Bedoya, but I also think I agree with Wynalda. My opinions of Bedoya is that he’s hardworking, serviceable, and he’s played generally well for the USMNT in recent years. My only comment about him, in a negative way, is that he has done the USMNT well, but if we truly want to be an attacking team, and truly want to grow as a soccer nation, we should see less players like him on the field at the same time. i think it’s time we introduce players who may not be as hardworking in the midfield, but offer more creativity, vision, and overall playmaking ability while balancing that out with players like bedoya or jermaine jones or michael bradley, but we should not play all three at the same time. so maybe it’s fair that a player like bedoya starts to take a backseat to players like pulisic, nagbe, even kljestan at the moment.

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    • Beep ya surely would be a sub that came in to put in defensive effort on the wings and hold onto a lead. The fact of the matter is that to this point he’s been one of our better players. So until we get better talent (things are starting to look good in the department), he has been used correctly. But yes as arriola, green, Gyau, and Pulisic all have a target on his back. I honestly wouldn’t mind bedoya being the go to sub kinda like Zusi has been used, for the World Cup. a 30 (31?) yo midfield veteran is a great asset for a WC.

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  7. Wynalda is one of the few US soccer commentators who actually has the balls to say it like it is. He has been way in front on how poor MB has been and his Bedoya comments are right on.

    Bedoya grow up. Put on your big boy pants and prove him wrong. Wynalda is an all time USA great….try to match that and get off Twitter.

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    • Yeah but what does Wynalda being a US Soccer great really entitle him to? I love throwback players, and guys making history helping there country earn respect. Did he honestly do that though? I know it’s a little cynical to say that, but were Wynalda and Lalas really the same caliber of players we have now? I personally don’t believe so, but that’s my own opinion. There were plenty of bands that came out before The Beatles, doesn’t mean they were in any position to school them about anything.

      BTW that was just an example, the US are clearly not The Beatles of soccer……yet.

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      • TJ,

        I’ve been watching the USMNT pretty closely since the late-80s. Wynalda was a quality player and could easily start on today’s squad. He was fast, skilled, and could finish. Lalas,….lets just say he benefitted from the very conservative system the team played at the time.

        Two thoughts on this flap: 1) Wynalda is a pundit,…he expressed his thoughts. 2) Bedoya needs thicker skin and yes,….he went overboard with his comments. No class. Pity,…I was starting to really like the guy. Very good Copa America and the move to Philly,….but his personal attack on Wynalda was classless.

    • Wynalda doesn’t say it like it is. He just says HIS opinion and he is sometimes wrong. I HATE when people say this woman or this guys “says it like it is”. Most of the time, they are just saying their opinion and you happen to agree with it. Guess what, opinions are often subjective and sometimes wrong.

      I watched Wynalda when he played and liked him (and still like him), but he was a whiny, little bitch as a player. ALWAYS complained, ALWAYS gave his opinion even when not warranted. He has always loved the sound of his own voice and opinion, when he played and when he had shows on ESPN, FOX Soccer Channel and now Fox Sports 1.

      That being said, he is great for soccer ;).

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      • Hey man, I like Waldo too. I started following USMNT after ’86 when that squad started qualifying for the ’88 Seoul Olympics.

        He’s not afraid to criticize players unlike most of the media who are weary to target any specific player. He speaks for the voice of fans when we don’t have the platform to already state the obvious, i.e. Landycakes and now Bedoya being a limited player.

        Nothing to be ashamed of if you can’t be Ronaldo or Ribery, if you are limited in your skills then just accept it and not get butt hurt. If you can’t accept it, then improve yourself rather than hitting back at someone pointing out the truth.

  8. Bedoya shouldn’t have gone nuclear.

    That said, it sure seems true to me and to anyone I’ve ever talked to about it that Wynalda decides early in a player’s career whether he likes that player, and that like/dislike then guides all analyses of that player’s performance throughout the rest of their career, no matter what they do. Bedoya could have a unquestionably stunningly spectacular performance and Wynalda would say that he sucked.

    There are no good guys here.

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  9. I posted this on a previous article:

    “I saw it. I actually like Wynalda and the fact he is opinionated. However, I have to disagree with him on this one. I have been watching the USMNT since right before he broke in (when I could catch it as a kid — it was really hard circa 1990/1991/1992) .

    However, he is being prick about this today: “Focus on “better” not bitter. I had my opinions of your play- I did not know that you had zero class…”

    I like Wynalda, but there is a reason why he is ostracized by MLS and other parts of US Soccer (unfortunately).”

    “Even Jeff Carlisle went in on Wynalda last night on Twitter about his well documented dislike of Bedoya. Wynalda went off on Bedoya earlier in a Philly.com article about 3 weeks ago. He even says that he thinks that he does even belong on the national team. Then again, he is paid for his opinion.”

    All that being said, Ale shouldn’t be so sensitive and neither should Wynalda about something he put in the public forum (confirming John Harkes banged his wife) or that someone responded to his tweets criticizing them.

    Calm down boys!

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    • PS – Like Erik, but Bedoya is more accomplished so far in his career. Better career in Europe, but fewer goals. However, Bedoya is not a forward and should not have as many goals.

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  10. for everyone giving EW a hard time here, was what he said REALLY that bad? if anything he was being PC and the fans (and AB) read between the lines. i tend to agree with EW assessment, and actually stand by his comments….this time around. really was not that antagonistic, and frankly he handled himself very well at a time he could have snapped back. no question who came off with egg on their face this time….

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  11. Wynalda is the Skip Bayless of commentators. All he does is talk trash about players and offers zero insight into the actual game as it’s unfolding. He’s trying to instigate himself into a job and hope someone comes calling. Pair him with JP Dellacamera and put them on a channel so far down the list no one has to ever hear it.

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  12. I always thought Wynalda was a bit too pompous and a bit of a know-it-all, but of course, he is not in Alexi Lalas’ league in those traits. Good for Bedoya for standing up for himself, but he did go a bit too far. No good guys in this one.

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    • Not a fan of Bedoya, but Wynalda is absolutely annoying as an analyst and commentator. I laugh when people on here suggest he’s one of the better ones in the industry. Listen to him for 5 minutes and he contradicts himself at least 5 times. He’s the most wish-washy, talking just to talk analyst I’ve heard on soccer.

      Bedoya lost for simply giving him the time of day. He should know better.

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    • Yeah you’re right, but Eric seems to think being the star striker at a time when the national team sucked makes his opinions golden. Dude used to go hard at Donovan, and I couldn’t help but laugh. All due respect to what the previous generations did for US Soccer, but sometimes they should take a step back and realize how little that was. Different game nowadays. Lalas is still worse though.

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      • Perhaps off subject but who would you say had the better European career? Bedoya or Kjlestan? France a better league but Belgium is not that far behind and Kljestan won titles, played some Champions league.

      • Bedoya 34 goals in 214 Appearances (14 in 96 in France, 2 in 8 Europa and CL appearances)
        Klljestan 25 goals in 180 Appearances (all in Belgium, 4 in 34 Europa CL appearances)

        I’d say pretty similar Sacha played in a 10-15th ranked league the entire time, whereas Ale played in the 5th or 6th best league for about half with the other half in leagues ranked in the low 20s. Sacha has more Euro experience, but he played on a better team not necessarily was the better player. If I had to say I’d give the nod to Sacha.

  13. Poor Ale seems to be a bit insensitive with anyone criticizing him. Note his spat with the Sounders as well. If that’s what he needs to motivate him, fine I suppose. Comes off as a bit of a baby. From what I can tell, Wynalda was just doing his job as a commentator. And, if it’s true that he’s said as much about Ale before, maybe it’s because Ale was crap then too?

    Ale has served pretty well in his time with the USMNT. But I think we can all agree that there actually are better options than him in the midfield, right?

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  14. On the game thread yesterday I said that I can’t be the only one that thinks Bedoya just isn’t good enough. Looks like Wynalda and many others do agree with me. Wow is Bedoya a sensitive, classless, immature person. My low opinion of him was based solely on his play but now there is more to it.

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    • Bedoya is a solid player not a star, I get it. But let’s not forget what he is. He’s the type of player that grinds and grinds a) allowing a star striker to play less defense ie altidore/wynalda whoever. and b) creates open lanes other places because he’s dragging his guy all over the place and causing defenses to switch marks.

      He coulda won this tiff if he woulda just said something to the effect of i work harder than you ever did and mentioned 98 without mentioning Harkes.

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  15. I’ve seen Bedoya play for the Union and he doesn’t really add anything to their team. He’s hard working but you don’t need to pay a mllion dollars for a hard working guy. A DP should add something that you can’t get from ordinary players.

    Let’s see how long he will still be in the picture of the MNT now that he’s playing in MLS despite not being an impact player for the club.

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    • I noted the same thing, when you watch the play between Bedoya on the right flank and Pulisic on the left, Pulisic just made Bedoya look ordinary, except for his work rate which is fantastic, but a good work rate isn’t good enough anymore.

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  16. So if calling a team you just played and lost to cowards gets you six months, how many months do you get for reminding a former USMNT player that in 1998 his wife cheated on him with another USMNT player on social media?

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