PHILADELPHIA — When the deal was struck on Feb. 1, the Union had plenty of time to get the talking points in order. Alejandro Bedoya would belatedly be back for his ninth season with the club. The captain would hold a dual “player development and front office specialist” role, MLS salary cap speak for a reduced budget charge with off-field responsibilities. On paper, the deal seemed to mean that the 37-year-old midfielder could play sporadically, could assuage a fan revolt to leaks last year that the club was going to cut ties and could help young players to assume his job while he transitioned gracefully into retirement. That was 24 MLS games and 35 appearances in all competitions ago. Bedoya has only made 17 starts, and his 1,213 minutes in MLS is on pace for the fewest in a non-COVID-blighted season. But Bedoya is still central to the Union’s chase of a playoff spot, even if that status comes as a surprise to him. “I could tell you I expected to play a lot less. I can tell you that much,” Bedoya said Tuesday. “But it was never about quality. We know what it was about. And when you understand the nuances of the game, you realize that the game is not about offensive potential, but it’s the whole package, defensively, the different qualities I bring to the table. It’s gotten me on the field for more minutes than I envisioned.” Bedoya could be out there from the start Wednesday with the Union looking to steal a result at New York City FC (7:30 p.m., Apple TV+). Short on center backs with Jack Elliott suspended, Bedoya’s calming presence in midfield in the compacted spaces of Yankee Stadium could prove decisive. As much as Bedoya might have been ticketed for diminished minutes, there’s no minimizing the fire he brings to daily training. That intensity has led to more than 400 first-team games in four countries and 66 U.S. national team caps. This year, it’s once again put off the long-awaited supplanting of him in the rotation. It’s an occasionally uncomfortable balance. For years, Bedoya’s objective was to fight into the squad weekly, proving a slew of omnipresent if unnamed doubters wrong along the way. The player development role adds a secondary goal, to help others improve to push him to the bench, conflicting with Bedoya’s longtime lodestar as a player. But his level of play still exceeds that of many of the chasers. As long as he gives the Union the best chance to win, manager Jim Curtin is going to select him. “I don’t know whose fault it is that they haven’t really kicked me out,” Bedoya said. “It’s a meritocracy, right? You have to earn it, and I’m not going to just sit idle and whoever comes into the team, be like, ‘Oh, here you go, take my spot.’ “I’m a competitor. I still want to compete. I love competing, I love the game. I love playing. And I’m not just going to let you take my spot.” Bedoya’s production has hardly dimmed. He has two goals, after none last year and a career-high six in 2022. Both have been vital, the stoppage-time equalizer in a draw at Sporting KC in March, then the first goal in recouping a two-goal deficit for a 2-2 draw at D.C. United in May. He’s added four assists, down from the 13 total the last two years but more than in 2021 or 2020. “He’s been great,” Curtin said. “He’s been our leader. All the things that you guys don’t see behind the scenes, in the locker room, with the young players, he embodies our culture here in Philly and has been amazing that way. On the field, he’s been also one of our best players. Some of our best results are when he’s on the field. He brings so much leadership. I think he’s getting better with age.” Bedoya is singularly focused on helping the Union (7-12-9, 30 points) get over the hump and return to the playoffs, where they’ve been for seven of his eight seasons. This year has been different, having to play catch-up late. They start Wednesday three points behind ninth-place D.C. with a game in hand. They host D.C. Sunday, then take on 10th-place Atlanta United in Chester the following week. The Union have played well lately against a slew of playoff teams, which hasn’t translated into results. Bedoya’s leadership entails making sure the club turns the page from points squandered against worse opposition early in the season to focus on the task at hand. His personal future is on the back burner until after the season, but he seems set on a direction. “I have no plans to retire,” he said. “I still feel good, mentally and physically. So I’m enjoying it. I love competing. I’m still ready to compete more. But these decisions aren’t ultimately up to me. All I can say is how I feel and whatever comes next comes next. But I’m not even worried about that. I want to make sure I get this club into the playoffs.” • • • NOTES >> In the absence of Elliott, Curtin confirmed he’ll start Nate Harriel at center back against NYCFC. Olwethu Makhanya, the nominal third center back, will be on the bench. Olivier Mbaizo will play right back. … Andre Blake (hamstring) and Danley Jean Jacques (ankle) are both listed as day-to-day by Curtin and unlikely to take part. Blake trained to the side while Andrew Rick worked with the likely first team. Rick was in goal in Saturday’s 3-1 loss in Miami. Jean Jacques, who picked up his knock with Haiti, played eight minutes in that game, but the ankle is still causing pain. … NYCFC (11-10-7, 40 points) is sixth in the East, three points behind Red Bulls for fourth place, which would bring home-field advantage in the first round.