Most eyes in the footballing world are glued to the World Cup. Things continue to happen elsewhere though, including the MLS re-entry draft. Amongst those involved were the New England Revolution and as a result, they have a new name amongst their ranks. Former USMNT and Bundesliga regular Bobby Wood is the man who has been snapped up by the Revs.
Bobby Wood Swaps Salt Lake City for New England
Bolstering the Revs’ Forward Line
After a rough regular season for the New England Revolution, attentions turn to re-moulding the squad and getting ready to go again in 2023. It is like night and day when the last two seasons in Massachusetts are compared, one would expect that more realistic expectations lie somewhere in between. The first step towards changing the fortunes has been made with Bobby Wood joining the squad via the second stage of the re-entry draft.
Bobby Wood is the first man through the door but there has already been a departure from Gillette Stadium. St Louis City SC are the newest arrival in Major League Soccer and so an expansion draft ensued. They made a number of pickups from other teams in the league, one of which being Revolution defender Jon Bell.
NEWS | Revolution Select Forward Bobby Wood in Stage 2 of 2022 MLS Re-Entry Draft.
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) November 22, 2022
Polish forward Adam Buksa left the club for Europe in the summer, joining French outfit RC Lens. This left Gustavo Bou as the only available, senior striker remaining in the ranks given the injury status of Giacomo Vrioni. The latter could well turn out to be a great asset in Bruce Arena’s squad, but bolstering is needed up front either way.
Jozy Altidore has returned to the club but Arena alluded to his imminent departure following the conclusion of the season. “I know he has an interest in perhaps going elsewhere and we’ll work with him to see if that’s possible.” Enter, Bobby Wood. He has a big opportunity with the Revolution to establish himself in the team given the lack of competition.
Read More: Bruce Arena Looks Back on an Underwhelming 2022 For the New England Revolution
All About Bobby Wood
So, who is this new signing for New England? Bobby Wood is a name familiar to both MLS and USMNT fans. Starting first with the national team and he debuted in the August of 2013, this being a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since then, he has amassed a total of 44 caps, netting 13 times.
The New England Revolution Selecting Bobby Wood in Stage 2 of the MLS Re-Entry Draft is a smart pick.
Missed most of 2022 (Injury)
We gave up $50,000k in 2023 General Allocation Money (GAM) and the No. 9 pick in Tuesday’s Re-Entry Draft for this selection. #NERevs | #MLS pic.twitter.com/Qo2muCIQxk
— Caleb Pongratz (@CalebPongratz10) November 22, 2022
Meanwhile, Wood enjoyed the majority of his club career in Europe. Union Berlin and Hamburg were two of the German clubs he prominently played for before returning to the States. The 30-year-old from Hawaii landed in Utah for his first season as an MLS player. At the Rio Tinto Stadium, he joined the likes of Damir Kreilach, Sergio Cordova and Jefferson Savarino in the final-third. Cordova led the team with 11 whereas Bobby Wood only managed three.
Wood’s strongest season in front of goal was 2015/16 when he contributed 17 goals in the second tier of German football for Union Berlin. Besides that, he has never really delivered any eye-catching figures. It is clear that the Revs are in need of attacking reinforcements, but it remains to be seen if someone of Wood’s profile is an ideal fit.
