Bedoya agrees terms with Rangers

Alejandro Bedoya is enjoying the best season of his young professional career, and the year just got even better after he agreed to terms with Scottish champions Glasgow Rangers on Thursday.

Bedoya has signed a pre-contract and will join the club in the January transfer window on a three-year contract. He must first secure a UK work permit, which he will have to do on appeal.

According to Bedoya's agent, Lyle Yorks, Rangers and Orebro failed in an attempt to reach an agreement on a summer transfer, which precipitated Bedoya's move to sign a pre-contract with the Scottish club.

The 24-year-old midfielder is coming off an impressive performance at the CONCACAF Gold Cup for the US men’s national team and was in the middle of a strong season with Swedish club Orebro. It remains unclear what the terms of the transfer are, and the move is contingent on Bedoya securing a work permit.

A New Jersey-born, Florida-raised product of Boston College, Bedoya bypassed MLS and went straight to Europe in 2009, thriving with the club from his first season, establishing himself as a regular starter for the club that fellow Boston College alum Charlie Davies once called home.

The transfer is a good one for Bedoya, who is a fast but physical and aggressive midfielder. He should cope well with the rough-and-tumble defending in Scotland that has been known to give newcomers trouble.

To have the chance to play Champions League soccer in his third year as a professional is a major step for Bedoya, and the step up in class should help him maintain and potentially build on the place he's earned in the Us national team pecking order.

A versatile winger capable of playing on either wing and as an attacking midfielder, Bedoya should battle for playing time on a Rangers squad that shed several players from its most recent Scottish championship-winning side.

One player still on Rangers is Bedoya’s US teammate, Maurice Edu, who teamed with Bedoya on this summer’s US Gold Cup squad. Originally left off the US Gold Cup roster, Bedoya replaced the injured Benny Feilhaber and thrived as a substitute before earning a starting role later in the tournament. He was widely-regarded as one of the key bright spots on a US team that reached the Gold Cup final before losing to Mexico.