Bobby Wood, DeAndre Yedlin Show Growth in USMNT's Win over Puerto Rico

The United States men's national team did not turn in its best performance as a whole on Sunday against Puerto Rico, but two important cogs of the likely starting XI for the Copa America Centenario displayed plenty of progress. 

Forward Bobby Wood and right back DeAndre Yedlin were the stars of the 3-1 victory at the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. The match was an opportunity to keep the first teamers who play in Europe fresh and to give some young guys a look before the 23-man Copa squad meets up on Monday. 

Wood, who lit the nets on fire in the 2. Bundesliga with Union Berlin this season, extended his impressive scoring form on Sunday as he netted the USMNT's second goal in the 34th minute. Wood was able to latch onto the ball thanks to a splendid run around a defender in the middle of the pitch. The 23-year-old then raced into the box and finished over the goalkeeper. 

The recent Hamburg signee will take on a more important role at the Copa with Jozy Altidore out of the picture yet again due to a hamstring injury. If he displays the same quality he has over the last nine months, Wood should be the USMNT's top scorer by the time the June tournament concludes. 

However, Wood won't be able to do everything by himself in the final third. The Hawaii native will need the players behind him to break down opposing defenses in order to create chances on a consistent basis against Colombia, Costa Rica and Paraguay. The delivery from the central area of the pitch was lacking on Sunday, but we can't place too much stock in that since a different corps of midfielders will play for the red, white and blue at the Copa. 

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In an ideal situation, Wood will have either Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley or Jermaine Jones playing behind him in the No. 10 position. Dempsey seems like the logical choice, but with Kyle Beckerman shielding the back line, Bradley and Jones will also have license to move forward and shift into the role of provider in the final third. 

Hopefully, the presence of the elder members of the USMNT squad will allow the Yanks to play more through the middle. On Sunday, Jurgen Klinsmann's side looked devoid of options in the middle of the dry pitch in Bayamon. Alejandro Bedoya—who started at the attacking tip of the 4-4-2 diamond that Klinsmann used versus Puerto Rico—should play out on the wing at the Copa. 

The lack of play through the central channels on Sunday allowed Yedlin to shine on the right wing during the first 45 minutes of the game. The 22-year-old, who gained great experience at Sunderland over the last nine months, impressed with his maturity on the ball in every part of the pitch. The Tottenham Hotspur man drove forward whenever he could to exploit the mismatches his speed presents. 

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On at least four occasions in the first half, Yedlin used his tremendous speed to create space between himself and the Puerto Rico defense and spring the USMNT attack further forward. Yedlin's passes may not have produced a ton in the final third due to a lack of chemistry between newcomers and veterans, but it gave Klinsmann a glimpse at what the wide man is capable of this summer. 

While we have been aware of Yedlin's speed for some time, he's been able to find a balance between when to defend and when to attack in the last year, making him even more valuable. Most of that has to do with playing consistently at a high level in the English Premier League at Sunderland under a well-respected boss in Sam Allardyce. 

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Yedlin is the first-choice right back for the Copa and he'll likely own that position for the USMNT as long as he's healthy. Now the challenge is to find a winger that jells best with him. Gyasi Zardes, Bedoya, Christian Pulisic and Darlington Nagbe should all receive chances to build chemistry with Yedlin during the Copa. Zardes will probably start in front of Yedlin with Bedoya and Fabian Johnson combining on the left wing. 

Wood and Yedlin certainly had strong matches to keep their confidence high heading into the Copa, but there are still a few concerns surrounding the USMNT's play. The defense still needs some work, based off the marking on Luis Betancur's 42nd-minute goal and Manolo Sanchez's 48th-minute chance from the right side of the box. But the real test for the back four will come next week against Ecuador and Bolivia when the first-team center backs line up together. 

There is still plenty for Klinsmann to tinker with in the buildup to the June 3 Copa opener against Colombia, but the boss does not need to worry about the production of Wood and Yedlin. 

Joe Tansey covers U.S. Soccer for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @JTansey90.