Union’s Bedoya Sends Angry & Passionate Plea to Congress

The captain of Philadelphia Union, used his opening goal after only 3 minutes in the American capital to platform his unequivocal view on gun violence in the US.

After accepting the congratulations of celebrating team-mates, Bedoya moved away from the group, making a bee-line for a pitch-side microphone, and screamed into the electronics, “Hey Congress, do something now. End gun violence. Let’s go!”

Bedoya’s angry and passionate plea was in direct reaction to the tragedies suffered in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas over the weekend, when 29 people died.

The former Rangers player said after the game, “I cannot accept that these things happen again and I will certainly not remain silent before such violence.

“Before being an athlete and a soccer player, first of all I am a human being. I have children and I can’t be the only one to feel so bad about it. Something must be done. We have reached the point of being insensitive and this is a big problem, but we cannot always only respond to such attacks only with thoughts and prayers.”

Bedoya grew up in Florida near Parkland, where 17 students were killed in 2018 in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. In the first game after the massacre he wore an “MSD Strong” shirt under his race kit to show support for the families affected.

Bedoya’s team won the game against 10-man DC United 5-1, consolidating their place at the top of the Eastern Conference standings.