Weston Family Prepares To Cheer On Team USA Player
WESTON (CBSMiami) - Weston native, mid-fielder Alejandro Bedoya will have his parents, little sister, grandfather, friend, and his girlfriend in his cheering section in Brazil when the U.S. men's team takes on Ghana tonight.
CBS4 News caught up with some of them as they prepared to fly out.
They packed the t-shirts and jerseys, the throat drops for hoarse voices from cheering, and a lot of pride before their flight to cheer for their favorite professional soccer player--their son and brother--Alejandro Bedoya, at the World Cup.
"I'm a huge Alejandro Bedoya fan," beamed little sister Marcela.
The 27-year old Bedoya plays for a French team, and has played for Scotland and Switzerland. Now, Marcela could not be prouder that he will be wearing an American uniform.
"To be going to the World Cup in Brazil is unreal to me…it's kind of like I'm dreaming- living my brother's dream with him- it's the greatest, greatest feeling ever."
"I'm the proud mother," laughed Julieta Bedoya. Though she admits her anxiety takes over when she watches her son play.
"At first I get so nervous, and then sitting down, I always think what is he thinking?" said Bedoya.
Though she's thrilled the world will stop to watch her son showing off his soccer skills, he's already won trophies and medals- earned during his career which began at the Weston Soccer Club and then St. Thomas Aquinas.
"I think it was his effort, his discipline, and he really, really, really wanted to play soccer."
She says at one point she pushed him to decide which career path he would follow. He gave a clear answer.
" He said to me, 'Mom I'm not going to college after I graduate high school, I'm going to be a professional soccer'- and I was just laughing in the kitchen- are you going to be a professional soccer player? And he said, 'yes mom I'm going to be a professional soccer player.'
And now he's taking part in the biggest soccer event in the world. Julieta admits though that her family, which hails from Colombia, is a bit torn.
"He grew up watching Colombian soccer- now we have two teams, but we are really into USA and on the other side we are rooting for Colombia too."
The U.S. will need the extra cheers tonight. Ghana knocked the U.S. out of the World Cup in 2006 and 2010. The Bedoyas and their crew of friends booked return tickets for the end of June, but they have no problem changing their tickets if the U.S. is still in the game by then.
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