Copa America: 15 surprises so far

Jun 9, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Venezuela midfielder Tomas Rincon (8) and defender Oswaldo Vizcarrondo (4) and defender Wilker Angel (2) celebrate a victory against Uruguay in a group play stage of the 2016 Copa America Centenario at Lincoln Financial Field. Venezuela won 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

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Jun 16, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; United States forward Bobby Wood (7) dribbles against Ecuador during the second half of quarter-final play in the 2016 Copa America Centenario soccer tournament at Century Link Field. The United States defeated Ecuador, 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /

8. Bobby Wood’s emergence for the USA

Heading into the 2015 season, it was unclear what exactly Wood’s role with the USMNT would be moving forward. While Wood was still in his early 20s, he had yet to break through on either the club or international level and was struggling with his touch around the goal.

Since then, Wood has been on an excellent run to firmly cement his status has a huge piece for the United States moving forward. Wood’s 17 goals for Union Berlin were the most ever for an American in a German league, and he scored his first career goal for the national team that June.

The forward has carried over that momentum to the Centenario, where he has been one of the United States’ most influential players. Wood’s sixth career goal sealed the 4-0 blowout win over Costa Rica that turned around what could have been an ugly tournament for the U.S.

That wasn’t Wood’s only contribution, as he was even better in the next two games. Wood looked dangerous in the 1-0 win over Paraguay, and caused all sorts of havoc for the Ecuadorian backline in the knockout stage, including helping to set up Dempsey’s goal.

Unfortunately, Wood accumulated two yellow cards and will be unable to play in the semis against Argentina, which is going to really hurt the United States’ hopes for an upset. Still, the Centenario helped Wood prove he can be a very good player at the international level for the U.S.

Next: 7. Jesus Corona owns the tournament's best goal

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