It was just days ago that the New England Revolution confirmed the arrival of teenager Santiago Suarez. There is a second new arrival in Foxborough now, this one being a first team player. The man in question is former USMNT and Real Salt Lake forward Bobby Wood. He spoke to the media for a first time since joining the club.
Bobby Wood is Introduced to the Media
The Newest Arrival in New England
The new Major League Soccer season may be months away, but that hasn’t stopped the Revolution from making moves. We saw this twelve months ago when Sebastian Lletget, Jozy Altidore and Omar Gonzalez all came through the door in the off-season. That trio flattered to deceive and so the pressure on Bruce Arena’s shoulders is greater than ever before.
Besides that troubled triumvirate, the general performances on the field were sub-par. This was reflected in the final standings as the Revs missed out on the playoffs altogether, finishing tenth in the Eastern Conference. Enter, Bobby Wood.
NEWS: The #NERevs have signed free agent forward Bobby Wood to a one-year contract 🔵🔴 Welcome to Foxborough! pic.twitter.com/bvpF1cfYlB
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) December 5, 2022
Adam Buksa’s form in front of goal eventually led to his return to Europe. Whilst Gustavo Bou is a very capable forward, there is a need for reinforcements in that area of the pitch.
Bobby Wood is a part of this next stage and Bruce Arena has apparently got that message across to him, this being a reason for him signing on the dotted line. “He just told me he wants me to come in, work hard, get fit, help the team, and that’s what I’m here to do. There will be a fair chance that if I do my thing, I’ll give him a headache of picking the [starting] lineup. That’s the goal of any player.” The pair crossed paths during Arena’s time in charge of the USMNT which always helps.
The 30-year-old born in Hawaii went on to add the following about his new head coach. “He’s always been very straightforward with me. As a coach, that’s one of my most important things… I have huge respect [for Arena]. It’s exciting to work with someone who’s just a player’s coach. I think it’s going to be easy to work with him.”
Read More: Revolution Pickup Bobby Wood in MLS Re-entry Draft
All About Bobby Wood
Bobby Wood is a name that will be familiar to most Revolution fans due to his time in the league as well as with the national team. He moved to Germany at a young age though and has spent most of his career there, frequenting clubs in the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga such as Hamburg and 1860 Munich.
Wood discussed the difficulties he experienced in Europe. “With everything that happened in Germany, a lot of it was out of my hands. With the contract situation, it had nothing to do with actual soccer. So that was mentally tough, but I grew from it.”
"it’s a great group of guys" – Bobby Wood on joining the Revolution. pic.twitter.com/ufY1VVVEKH
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) December 7, 2022
Real Salt Lake gave Wood his first taste of MLS and after a season in which he failed to properly get going, he is on the move again. On the topic of Utah and his fitness as well, Wood said the following. “I’m training every day, I’m thankful for [Real Salt Lake] for still letting me train there and work with the coaches and everything and it’s going good.”
Those aforementioned injuries have regularly played Bobby Wood, which has been one of the main concerns raised by Revs fans. The player himself seems positive about the whole situation though, “I’m just excited to show the Revs that I’m still the player I am and just help the team as much as possible. I’m extremely grateful.” There is a lot of hope that this move can work for all parties.
