The Union’s two biggest personnel questions this offseason were answered on Monday. The club announced the return of midfielder Alejandro Bedoya for the 2025 season, while defender Jack Elliott signed as a free agent with the Chicago Fire. Bedoya, who had signed a one-year deal in February, will play on at age 37. Like last year, he’ll continue under a Player Professional Development role, which includes non-playing duties and allows the Union to defray some of his salary cap hit. Acquired from French club FC Nantes in the summer of 2016, Bedoya has played all or part of nine seasons with the Union. He’s played 244 MLS games (217 starts) with 24 goals and 37 assists. He is one appearance behind Andre Blake for the most in club history. Bedoya expressed a desire in the fall to continue playing. After an acrimonious wait last offseason that required then head coach Jim Curtin to be in his corner, the process was made more painless this year by sporting director Ernst Tanner, who is now solely in charge of the club’s direction after firing Curtin. Bedoya was anticipated to have a diminished role in 2024, but he ended up making 30 appearances (14 starts), with two goals and four assists. His minutes only slipped from 2,020 in 2023 to 1,448 last year, despite the Union missing the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Bedoya, who earned 66 caps with the U.S., also played in Sweden and Scotland over 17 pro seasons. Elliott, however, is moving on. A fourth-round selection in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, the West Virginia product logged 223 league games (212 starts) and more than 19,000 minutes for the Union over eight seasons. He famously scored twice, including in the fourth minute of extra-time stoppage time, in the Union’s loss to LAFC in MLS Cup in 2022. Elliott made 27 starts last year, albeit for a Union team whose defense regressed significantly. He made clear his desire to stay in Philadelphia in a post on social media Monday. “After months of back and forth, and 8 years with the club, I’m disappointed to announce my time in Philadelphia has come to a close,” Elliott wrote. “Philadelphia has become home to me, but the time has come where I have to stay true to myself and know my own worth. “Looking back on my time with the Philadelphia Union, I feel immensely proud. Proud of the steps forward we took, the things we accomplished when no one believed we could. From the highest of highs, to the lowest of lows, I’m proud of how I carried myself throughout my time here and each experience has shaped me into the man and player I am today. I have made lifelong friendships here, and I will miss my teammates who were with me through it all. I wore the Philadelphia Union badge with pride, and I never took a second for granted.” Instead, he joins a rebuild in Chicago, under former U.S. national team head coach Gregg Berhalter. Elliott’s contract is for one year with a 2026 option.