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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Between his surprising summer with the U.S. mens national team last year and his dazzling Bundesliga debut with Hamburg last week, its been an impressive 14-month stretch for forward Bobby Wood.It might just be the beginning, too.With Clint Dempsey sidelined because of an irregular heartbeat, U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann is counting on the 23-year-old Wood to continue his rise.Wood likely will start alongside Jozy Altidore when the Americans play at St. Vincent and the Grenadines in a World Cup qualifier Friday. A U.S. victory coupled with Trinidad and Tobago beating Guatemala would advance the Americans to the hexagonal round that begins in November.If Wood keeps playing like he has, he surely will become an integral part of the teams offensive attack.Bobby made big, big strides, theres no doubt about it, Klinsmann said. That jump from Union Berlin to Hamburg, to a big club, is huge. The way he opened up things in his first game with a beautiful goal, its a strong signal from him. He says, `Im ready. Im ready to take over maybe more responsibility here, maybe have a bigger load on my shoulders.Thats what we were hoping for. And he seemed to kind of respond well.It wasnt that long ago that Wood was widely viewed as an underachiever for the U.S.But he stayed patient, kept working on his game and then had a big breakthrough in 2015. He scored winning goals in an exhibition against the Netherlands and another five days later against Germany.He followed that with another strong season for second division Union Berlin, scoring 17 goals, and then completed a transfer to Hamburg. He made his debut for Hamburg in a Cup match Aug. 22, then five days later controlled a kick from the goalkeeper, beat a defender and scored from long range against Ingolstadt in a 1-1 draw.Its amazing, Wood said. Its a really proud moment and something I worked hard for. ... Strikers are all about confidence, and its nice that I got to score.Wood also scored once for the U.S. squad that finished fourth in the Centennial Copa America this summer. His recent play surely eased some of the criticism directed at him.I think he took a lot of stick in terms of just maybe not performing as well as he could be, but the group believed in him, Altidore said. Weve all known him here. Hes been part of the camp, part of the team, for a long time. To see him now kind of come out of his shell is no surprise. Hes a talented player and hes going to continue to grow.The Americans spent a few days training in Jacksonville before flying to St. Vincent. They will return to Jacksonville on Saturday and face Trinidad and Tobago in the finale of the CONCACAF semifinals Tuesday night.Midfielder Michael Bradley and defender Michael Orozco, both suspended for Fridays match, will return for the finale. Altidore will serve as captain until Bradley returns. Injured midfielder Jermaine Jones was dropped from the roster because of a knee injury.Wood, meanwhile, will try to stay hot.Hes just well-rounded, Altidore said. I think his work rate is fantastic. Hes a little bit of a pit bull, you know? He makes it uncomfortable for defenses. It was rough on him in the beginning. I thought people were harsh on him. But I think now you see him starting to grow. Hes more confident. Hes got a great transfer in Hamburg, and you see around the group, hes just brighter, happier, and I think hes improved a lot and hes going to continue to improve. Nike Sf Air Force 1 Deutschland . Now, correct me if Im wrong but I saw one official distinctly pointing at the net indicating a good goal but after an inconclusive review they overturned the goal. Shouldnt the ruling on the ice (good goal) stand after an inconclusive review? Why was this overturned? James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. Nike Air Force 1 Herren Deutschland . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. http://www.airforce1gunstig.de/air-huarache-deutschland.html .5 seconds to play in the game, Kevin Love never stopped believing that they would come out of there with a win. Air Force 1 Kaufen Deutschland . Its an influence in football and a big part of the game. Nike Air Presto Deutschland Kaufen . LOUIS -- Cardinals cleanup hitter Allen Craig says hes recovered from a foot injury and ready to be put on St.VANCOUVER - Mike Reilly did not have much time to get sentimental Friday night. Since the Edmonton Eskimos flew into Vancouver for their CFL pre-season game against his former B.C. Lions earlier in the day and flew home later, he was able to concentrate on the difficult task of playing his former team for the first time since he was traded to Edmonton in the off-season. Reilly made the deal look good as he threw for 202 yards and a touchdown as the Edmonton Eskimos beat the B.C. Lions 27-22 on Friday night. "It was kind of a nice setup for me personally, because it was all happening so fast," said Reilly. "It was just all focusing on the game. But now that thats over with, I think the regular season will be much easier." Reilly excelled after a season-ending knee injury to Matt Nichols a week earlier assured him of being Edmontons starting quarterback once the regular season commences. But he did not feel any additional burden knowing that the Eskimos are placing their hopes on him after missing the playoffs last season. "I was going into every week as if I was going to be the starter in the season anyway," said Reilly, a 28-year-old Kennewick, Wash., native who spent two-plus seasons with the Lions. "So thats how I was trying to prepare myself." The Eskimos signal-caller and B.C. counterpart Travis Lulay, close friends during their days with the Lions, matched each other almost yard for yard while playing late into the third quarter. Reilly completed 13-of-18 passes for 202 yards while Lulay went 15 for 26 for 203 yards. Edmonton and B.C. both finished the pre-season with 1-1 records. Ironically, one of Reillys finest moments came on a broken play as he threw 50-yard touchdown pass to Cary Koch in the second quarter. The Edmonton quarterback ran his way out of trouble and then threw a pass along the sidelines to Koch, who held on to the ball while being bowled over by Josh Bell and J.R. LaRose. The TD gave the Eskimos the lead for the first time, at 14-8, and they never trailed again. "One thing about my game is that, at times, I get out of the pocket," said Reilly. "I can run, but I prefer to look down field, because theres usually a play thats potentially going to happen. "Those (receivers) did a great job of understanding that it was staying alive, and it turned to be a big play for us." Reilly and Koch almost connected for another touchdown later in the second quarter, but Bell made aamends for his earlier miscue as he stepped in front of the Edmonton receiver and intercepted the ball.dddddddddddd But Edmonton coach Kavis Reed had few complaints about Reillys performance. "I thought he did a very good job of managing the game," said Reed, adding he also made some nice adjustments. The Edmonton coach praised Reilly for showing professionalism while he was competing for the No. 1 job with Nichols before he was injured against Saskatchewan, and added the former Lion lived up to expectations after he entered the game knowing he was already assured of being the teams starter in the regular season. Lions defensive back Ryan Phillips was also impressed with his former teammate. "I felt like he controlled the game," said Phillips. "He came back with a winning game. He was efficient, he was scrambling around and he made plays. "We gave him opportunities to do that, and he seized the moment. Other than that, Im not going to discredit him at all." Reillys replacement Jonathan Crompton impressed early in the fourth quarter as he threw a 65-yard touchdown strike to Isaiah Sweeney, staking Edmonton to a 27-15 lead. But just two minutes later, Lions rookie S.J. Haidara narrowed the deficit to 27-22 on a spectacular 59-yard touchdown pass from Thomas DeMarco, the heir to Reillys former backup post with the Lions. After catching the ball, Haidara, a 24-year-old rookie out of Laval University, spun away from Edmonton defensive back Mike Miller, then cut back, romped towards the end zone and dove over the goal-line. But DeMarco squandered chances in the late going to get the Lions back in the lead, failing to connect with Elvis Akpla in the end zone on a third-and-five gamble and fumbling on the final play of the game with the Lions again in touchdown range following a 41-yard reception from Haidara. But Reilly was not getting too excited about his effort. "It is still a pre-season game," said Reilly. "Were happy to get the win, but weve got some work to do before the next one." Notes: Hugh ONeill handled B.C.s kicking duties after veteran Paul McCallum sat out with a sore groin, while linebacker Adam Bighill was sidelined with a rib injury. McCallum did not play in either exhibition game after being rested in the first game in Calgary. Centre Angus Reid remained out with a back injury suffered in training camp, leaving Matt Norman to do the hiking for the second consecutive game. ' ' '