Philadelphia Union and United States midfielder Alejandro Bedoya believes that January camp is a good chance for the USA to get headed back in the right direction, with World Cup qualifying set to resume in March.
Arena puts his stamp on USA camp
Under Jurgen Klinsmann the U.S. got off to a terrible start in the final round of CONCACAF qualifying, dropping matches to Mexico at home and to Costa Rica on the road. Klinsmann was let go, and with former manager Bruce Arena brought back in with the hope of salvaging qualification for the 2018 World Cup, Bedoya believes the winter camp is a time to get back on track.
"The mood after the last two games was not very good at all. You could hear a pin drop in the locker room. After that game in Costa Rica everybody was just kind of in shock," Bedoya said during a conference call with reporters. "The display was not good and I think everybody knew that. And now that there's been some changes made this camp is all about turning things around and getting back on the bright side of things.
"I think January camp in Southern California, nice weather and hopefully really good training sessions with new faces, new guys and kind of a new environment, hopefully will incorporate a good atmosphere that gets us in the momentum to qualify."
While Bedoya is a USA veteran, his run with the national team doesn't reach far enough back for him to have played under Arena, but the midfielder seems happy to get to work under the new boss.
"Everything that I've heard from players is all good things," Bedoya said. "Great person, great character in the locker room and he's a players manager, a players coach, so that's always good to hear. And we all that he knows the system very well, he knows the national team very well, he knows CONCACAF, knows the region. So that all bodes well for us moving forward. So I hope I can come in here and get to know his style and be a part of his team moving forward."
Bedoya will be joined by two club teammates with Philadelphia also having midfielder Chris Pontius and defender Keegan Rosenberry called into camp, with Rosenberry being touted as a possible starter on the back line after a stellar rookie season with the Union.
The defender, however, was quick to downplay his chances of taking over the right back position, and says he'll be happy to contribute in any way possible.
"First and foremost I'm just thankful to be called in," Rosenberry said. "But that's more for the staff to decide in what role I play, if any , and what the positional needs are. The team, I think, they've been disappointed with their start just in the most recent competition. But, again, I think whatever the staff decides that's going to be the best decision for the team and if I can help that in any way I'll be happy to."
The USA will open camp on Jan. 10, with the team scheduled to play Serbia in San Diego on Jan. 29 and Jamaica in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Feb. 3.