Chances are many outside of the diehard United States men’s national team supporters haven’t been following the club career of one Bobby Wood. However, following his international play for Sam’s Army and an incredible season with Union Berlin in the second division of German football, all of that work is paying off.
That’s because a long-rumored move to Hamburg of the Bundesliga in Germany has finally been announced.
Bobby #Wood wechselt von @fcunion an die Elbe⚓️ &unterschrieb einen 4-Jahresvertrag bis 2020. Willkommen in Hamburg! pic.twitter.com/3gCQDRabjp
— Hamburger SV (@HSV) May 15, 2016
He has a four-year deal that will last until 2020 with his new club, after Union Berlin failed to be promoted. Wood did all he could for the club in 2015-16, as he scored 17 goals in 30 appearances for the 2.Bundesliga side. He also added four assists this season.
That performance, along with him becoming a fixture for the USMNT up front. make this move vital. It was certainly welcome news to USMNT manager and German legend Jürgen Klinsmann.
great news !! Glueckwunsch Bobby !! https://t.co/0tnd0vtrs5
— J_Klinsmann (@J_Klinsmann) May 15, 2016
It’s a move that certainly will solidify his spot in the USMNT pecking order and could see him becoming an integral part of the squads for the upcoming Copa America here in the United States and CONCACAF World Cup qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Wood, a 23-year-old Honolulu native, sees the potential of a club that has been mired in relegation battles over the past few years and beat the odds this season to finish in the relative safety of 10th place in the 18-team league.
“Everyone knows how difficult the last two years were for Hamburg,” Wood told the club website. “This season there was more stability. You can see that something is slowly developing and that it’s going upwards step-by-step. The club has huge potential. I want to help, to go on this route, and would be happy if I can also further develop at Hamburg.”
Much like his club, Wood is just starting to round in to form on the club level and internationally. Getting better training and weekly competition could only help his chances of being one of Sam’s Army’s biggest contributors in the near-future.
With his season finished and his club future secure, Wood will turn his attention to helping the United States show up in its biggest non-World Cup competition to date.
With Jozy Altidore’s recent hamstring injury, it appears Wood will be an even more important part of the USMNT attack than before.
[ABC News]
