New England Revolution striker Bobby Wood has seen his responsibilities as a goal scorer expand after injuries caused the roster to shrink.
With two of the Revolution’s most prolific scorers, Dylan Borrero (left knee) and last season’s Golden Boot Award winner Gustavo Bou (left leg) off the grid, Wood and Justin Rennicks have stepped up as the club’s featured strikers on a full-time basis.
“Rennicks is fast, he is great guy, a great player and he wants to learn,” said Wood. “He is always asking questions and he is always trying to do the right things.
“Those are the types of players that help us as a team to be strong. He is always ready and it is guys like him that help us be where we are at today. Justin Rennicks is a threat in a lot of different ways and we are all happy to have him on the team.”
Wood is expected to be the point man in head coach Bruce Arena’s starting lineup when the Revolution (7-1-2) engage Inter Miami CF (4-6-0) on Saturday night (7:30) at DVR PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Revolution enter the match riding an eight-game MLS unbeaten streak, with a 3-1-1 road record, after beating Toronto FC 2-0 on May 6.
“We have a very deep roster and this is exactly why we have a very deep roster,” said Wood. “I think guys have to step up because those (Borrero and Bou) are very big losses for us.
“So far, I think a lot of guys are showing what they can do. We must be even more concentrated and play more as a team to get the results we want.”
Wood, 30, was selected with the No. 1 pick in Stage 2 of the 2022 MLS Re-Entry Draft after spending the last two seasons with Real Salt Lake. He played most of his career in Germany.
Wood became a fixture in the Revolution’s starting lineup even before the injuries began multiplying on the front end. Wood has appeared in nine games, with seven starts, and is tied with Giacomo Vrioni for the team lead with three goals.
Wood has logged 502 minutes with two assists, 14 shots, six shots on goal with seven fouls caused and 10 fouls sustained. While the offensive component is the central part of his job description, Wood has developed his ball and passing skills to better complement the players around him.
“He has given us a solid year and he is a little bit different than our other strikers,” said Arena. “He has good mobility, he can play with his back to the goal, holds the ball up and he is good running in the penalty areas.
“He has given us a pretty solid performance to date and he is healthy now. We are looking from some real positive contributions from Bobby.”
Wood enjoys the structure and organization that Arena demands and the fluctuating formations employed to accommodate the Revolution’s diverse opponents. He also likes the way midfielder Carles Gil, the 2021 league MVP, sets the machine is motion.
“He knows how to orchestrate our team,” said Wood. “Playing with someone like that makes the game easier.”