Dwyer wants to make history
He says he has unfinished business with Orlando City
Dressed in Orlando City gear for the first time in four years, Dom Dwyer sat alongside Lions CEO Alex Leitão to address the media Wednesday after a whirlwind 24 hours.
Dwyer smiled while talking about his goals with the team, his thoughts on the trade and his family still in Kansas City.
He and Leitão also answered questions on the staggering amount of allocation money — up to $1.6 million — traded to Sporting Kansas City for Dwyer, new contract negotiations that must now begin and the futures of other players on the roster.
“The moment I left Orlando in 2013, I definitely felt like I left something here,” said Dwyer, who helped the Lions to a USL championship that year on loan from SKC. “I still felt like I had some unfinished business. Now the club’s evolved and it’s a new place, it’s a new team. I’m excited to play with a lot of the players here, and it’s time to try to bring a championship to Orlando.”
No one from that championship USL team remains on Orlando’s roster. Dwyer said he feels honored to “carry the flag” for that “special group.” He also picked No. 18 to wear, which belonged to former Lion Kevin Molino, because his preferred number, 14, was taken. Molino was the last-standing Orlando City player from that USL team before he was traded to Minnesota in January. He also was the club’s all-time leading scorer, a title Dwyer wants.
Dwyer led Kansas City in scoring the past three years. He left as second alltime with 57 goals since the team selected him in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft. All but two of those goals came between 2014-17.
“I like to break records and be in the history of the club somehow,” Dwyer said. “That’s a goal of mine, but most importantly I would like to bring a championship to this side. They have a USL trophy, but there’s no MLS Cup yet.”
To surpass Molino and Cyle Larin, the team’s leading scorer every year since joining MLS in 2015, Dwyer will need to stay with Orlando City for an extended period of time. That is the plan, according to both Leitão and Dwyer, but there is some concern that the club has not yet negotiated a new contract with him. Dwyer was traded with his current contract, which is in its final year and has a one-year option the club is likely to exercise.
But Dwyer is now in the U.S. men’s national-team pool, and if he plays in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, he could draw interest that gives him more leverage in negotiations.
“It’s something that’s dealt with outside — agents and stuff will deal with that,” Dwyer said. “Right now, I’m really focused on playing. I’m trying to work hard and perform well for this team, and if that’s something the club wants to do, of course I’m very open to that. I think that they traded a lot for me, so I assume I’m in their longterm goals. I hope so, anyway.”
Earlier in the news conference, Dwyer also said he hopes to stay in Orlando for a “long, long time and help the club grow more successful.”
“I hope and I believe I bring a lot to the team to improve it,” Dwyer said. “The team’s put a lot of faith in me, and their hard work I will repay.”
Leitão again insisted the trade deal was structured in a way that will not jeopardize the future of the club — the $1.6 million, which includes $700,000 of performance incentives, will likely be spread out over the next three years, according to Leitão — and there is no immediate need to sell other players on the roster.
“I’ve been in the process of acquiring a franchise, and this was much more complicated, honestly, because it’s something that never happened between two clubs in the league,” Leitão said. “This just shows the growth of the league, where we are right now … and I’m pretty sure other deals [like this] will happen between clubs in the near future, which is great for the league.
“This is the type of deal that puts us in a situation to fight for getting better. We knew that we had to reinforce the team, we had this opportunity, this window, and we did because we really want to succeed. We want to win.”
The Lions (8-8-5, 29 points) started the season winning but have been inconsistent the past three months, slowly falling down the Eastern Conference table until they dropped below the playoff cutline for the first time last week at seventh place.
Sporting Kansas City visited Orlando City on May 13 and played to a 2-2 draw, but Dwyer was suspended for the match due to yellow-card accumulation so she did not travel. He said his teammates told stories about Orlando City's imposing stadium and raucous fans upon their return, which excited him.
Dwyer said he spoke only briefly on the phone with Orlando City coach Jason Kreis, but he will be willing to play in whatever system Kreis decides is best for the team.
“Kansas City was everything to me. It’s where I grew,” Dwyer said. “Each part of your career I feel like is a stepping stone — and now I’m here, I’m home, I’m ready to play and I hope this is a very long and successful time.”