As Daryl Dike re-enters the fold for the United States men’s national team this week, so too does the 22-year-old striker return to the city where he started his promising pro career.
Dike figures to draw a warm reception in Orlando on Monday night as the U.S. faces El Salvador in a CONCACAF Nations League match. Selected by Orlando City with the fifth pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft, Dike departed the club nearly 15 months ago in a $9.5 million transfer to West Bromwich Albion.
“I haven’t been at Exploria (Stadium) since I left to go overseas,” Dike said in a video conference with reporters earlier this week. “I know it’s a great place. I love the stadium, the fans and the city. Being able to come back and play in front of everyone is something that is so important to me. I’m obviously super excited.”
Dike helped Orlando qualify for the MLS playoffs in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons, netting 19 goals with four assists in 41 appearances for the club. In between, he shined during a 2021 loan spell at Barnsley, boosting the English side’s stunning but ultimately unsuccessful hopes for Premier League promotion.
Injuries, however, dogged Dike for the better part of the last 10 months. Hamstring and thigh problems forced the 6-foot-1, 220-pound center forward to miss 31 games for West Brom, totaling 150 days on the sidelines.
Those absences made Dike an afterthought as Gregg Berhalter selected his World Cup squad. He instead picked Jesús Ferreira, Josh Sargent and Haji Wright and rotated the trio in the No. 9 position.
“In terms of the opportunity, of course, I’m not going to take it for granted,” Dike said. “You always want to be the striker. You always want to come and play whenever you have a chance. You always want to be a part of the squad. You always want to be able to help guys and get called up to every camp.
“For me, throughout that time, it was obviously fuel to help me get back to where I am today.”
Part of the USMNT’s victorious 2021 Gold Cup squad, and with three goals in nine caps in his international career so far, Dike put himself back on the U.S. radar with a strong recent run of form for West Brom.
He’s been fit for each of the Baggies’ last 18 matches, going the full 90 minutes on five occasions. Dike scored and assisted in his second game back from injury, a 2-1 second-half rally past Sunderland.
In total, Dike has made 12 starts and produced seven goals with one assist — equating to 0.7 goal contributions per 90 minutes, per FBref.
“What he’s doing right now is so commendable. It’s so fun to watch,” SiriusXM analyst and former USMNT forward Eric Wynalda told MLSSoccer.com in January. “That diving header (against Reading on Jan. 2), to me, that’s just a striker’s goal. It’s a guy with a knack of where to be at the right time — can’t teach that. You can only screw it up, to be honest.”
West Brom are firmly in the Championship promotion race, sitting in ninth place at the international break. The Baggies sit five points behind Millwall for the final playoff spot with a game in hand.
Dike credits manager Carlos Corberán, hired in late October when the club was languishing in the relegation zone, with refining the tactical and technical aspects of his game.
“He keeps pushing me every single game,” Dike said. “He’s someone I love working under and, especially this young in my career, it’s important to have someone like that who is going to be a good stepping stone for the next games and the next part in your career.”
Dike rejoins the U.S. setup at a time of transition. Caretaker manager Anthony Hudson is in charge with Berhalter’s fate still undetermined following the federation’s investigation of a 1992 domestic violence incident with his wife, Rosalind. Additionally, there has been upheaval in the forward ranks: Ricardo Pepi has earned a recall after a productive spell at Groningen while the shadow of Folarin Balogun has loomed large over this camp.
“Coming into this camp, it’s just another opportunity for me to go and show what I can do, to help,” Dike said. “That’s all I have been looking forward to.”
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