South Florida Soccer Stars Return Home for USMNT Match

World Cup athletes and members of the United States men’s national soccer squad will return to South Florida on Tuesday to take part in a FIFA-friendly match against Honduras' national team.

Alejandro Bedoya, who is from Weston, and Jozy Altidore, from Boca Raton, will return home to faceoff in the match.

Bedoya is a midfielder on the United States Men's National Soccer Team and currently plays the same position for the French club Nantes.

He was born in New Jersey but was raised in Weston by his parents who are Colombian.

Bedoya's father, Adriano Bedoya and his grandfather both played professional soccer in their native country of Colombia.

Alejandro Bedoya attended St. Thomas Aquinas high school where he helped the team reach several state and regional titles. He made his first World Cup appearance this Summer in Brazil.

Bedoya couldn't hide his excitement about returning home to South Florida, following the team's game in East Hartford, Connecticut. He took to Twitter over the weekend to express his excitement.

"Flying back home to South Florida for our game vs Honduras on Tuesday. Excited to see my family and friends," the tweet read.

"Happy 2 be back representing my country with USMNT," he also said.

Another South Floridian returning to play in hometown is Jozy Altidore who plays for the English Premier League club, Sunderland.

The striker is of Haitian descent and was also born in New Jersey. Altidore grew up in Boca Raton where he played for various youth clubs like the Boca Raton Juniors Soccer Club, Schulz Academy and Sunrise S.C.

Altidore made headlines in 2006 when he took a service trip to Haiti with rapper Wyclef Jean, and again in 2010 when he became an active member of the Haitian community helping to raise funds for the victims of the earthquake that affected many of his relatives.

The soccer forward appeared in the World Cup for the first time in 2010 in South Africa where he played in all five of team USA's games and again in 2014 in Brazil.

The match marks the first time the USA plays in Palm Beach County. It is scheduled to kick off at the Florida Atlantic University stadium in Boca Raton Tuesday at 8 p.m..

Contact Us