Bobby Wood’s recent time at Hamburg has been a disappointment to say the least, but the American striker will reportedly make the move to MLS in 2021.
Western Conference club Real Salt Lake has reportedly signed Wood to a pre-contract ahead of the summer, The Athletic reported Wednesday. Wood’s contract expires in June, but the striker could force an early exit prior to the start of the 2021 MLS season, according to the report.
The 28-year-old made the move to Hamburg from in 2016 and played a consistent role for the club in its Bundesliga stint. However, since the club’s relegation in 2018, Wood has found playing time scarce, totaling 274 minutes over the past two seasons.
In total, Wood has scored 12 goals and registered three assists in 75 combined appearances for Hamburg.
Wood, a former U.S. Men’s National Team forward, has also played abroad for 1860 Munich, Union Berlin, Erzgebirge Aue, and Hannover. Wood’s move to MLS would be a new chapter of his career, and he would join up with fellow international Rubio Rubin, who also signed with RSL this offseason.
Should Wood excel with RSL, he could find himself back with the USMNT ahead of a busy 2021 year which will see the team in four different competitions. Wood has earned 45 caps for the USMNT, but none since November friendly defeats to both England and Italy.
Real Salt Lake missed the playoffs in 2020 under Freddy Juarez, but will be keen to get back in 2021.
Past time he moved, and MLS was the likely landing spot.
If he can regain form & confidence he could still be a viable option for the US in the event some of the younger guys drop off or run into struggles.