One of the big reasons that Albion San Diego is the second seed in the NISA standings is the outstanding play of its midfield, which includes the talents of Daniel Bedoya.

The 29-year-old native of Medellin, Colombia leads the team in assists building a great chemistry with everyone on the pitch having already scored twice including one of the best goals of the year in a 2-1 road victory over Club de Lyon on May 30.

“I think it’s just a matter of making sure that the connection is always there,” said Bedoya. “If we’re able to keep doing what we’re doing then we will go far.”

He made 36 appearances during his collegiate career playing for the St. John’s University Red Storm before moving on to the New York Red Bulls U23 team of the National Premier Soccer League in 2014 scoring six goals in 14 appearances.

Bedoya also spent time in Major League Soccer after being signed by New York City FC on Aug. 9, 2018, before being transferred by NYCFC to Dominican Republic team Atlético Pantoja of the Liga Dominicana de Fútbol leading his team to the Super Cup.

Bedoya’s started playing the sport as a child thanks to his father and older brother along with getting inspiration from watching FC Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta who led Spain to the 2010 World Cup trophy. Bedoya also made 51 appearances with FC Tucson of USL League One before joining Albion San Diego for the 2023 season.

“I kind of already knew our coach Diego (Gomez),” he added. “He was at Queensboro and I’m from Queens, so I met him there once and then we never really spoke again. We kind of had that connection because my agents are from Spain and he’s from Spain. He called me one day, I was actually in Colombia for vacation, so I decided to take the chance coming here and we’re doing well as a team.”

This connection turned out to be a perfect match since the style of play of Diego Gomez, which is very possession-oriented and based on controlling the tempo, is one that Bedoya and the rest of the Albion midfield love to play. The results speak for themselves as Albion San Diego has lost just one of its last nine games, which includes six clean sheets during that span.

“Having a coach that wants us to keep the ball is very important and I am a player that likes to be on the ball,” Bedoya concluded. “I want the fans to keep coming out and pushing us to victory. We want to finish the rest of the season strong because we have the right tools and mentality to win it all.”

Photo by John Cocozza Photography