Orlando City
Striker’s promising future set with 3-year agreement
striker Dom Dwyer signs a new three-year contract.
Orlando City striker Dom Dwyer signed a new three-year contract Wednesday, eliminating any uncertainty about his future with the club.
Details of the contract were not released, but Dwyer will be a designated player on Orlando City’s roster. His average guaranteed salary for 2017 was $668,750, according to numbers released by the MLS Players Union.
In July, the Lions traded a then-MLS record $1.6 million of allocation money — $400,000 in General Allocation Money and $500,000 in Targeted Allocation Money, plus up to $700,000 in future allocation money based on incentives — to Sporting Kansas City for Dwyer, but he was in his final contract year and had not yet signed a new deal.
Dwyer told the Sentinel in October he wasn’t completely confident a new agreement would be reached, saying, “I’d like to be at this club, it’s something we’re trying to figure out, but I can’t say I’m so confident at it right now. I’ll keep training
hard and we’ll finish off strong and we’ll see where it goes from there, but I think this one’s out of my hands a little bit.”
Club CEO Alex Leitão remained steadfast in his belief that Dwyer would stay a Lion for years to come, and now that is a reality.
“We are happy to have reached an agreement that both Dom and the Club can be proud of,” Orlando City general manager Niki Budalic said in a statement released by the club Wednesday afternoon. “Bringing him here toward the end of the season was an ambitious move, and we are really pleased with how he adjusted and developed in the short months he had. Dom is a big part of this team and we are excited to see what he brings to the group this season and beyond.”
Dwyer appeared in 12 of 13 games after joining Orlando City last season. He started 11 matches, scored four goals and had four assists. After a slow start with the club, Dwyer found a rhythm alongside Canadian striker Cyle Larin and either scored or assisted on four of Orlando City’s last five goals. Dwyer also scored the late equalizer against Real Madrid in the 2017 MLS All-Star Game on Aug. 2.
Dwyer was born in England but played college soccer at the University of South Florida in 2011 before SKC selected him 16th overall in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft.
He became a United States citizen in early 2017 and promptly made his debut for the U.S. men’s national team. He now has two goals in four appearances with the national team.
Dwyer is a fan favorite in Orlando, having played for Orlando City’s original United Soccer League team in 2013 on loan from Sporting KC. He helped the Lions win a USL title that year, scoring 15 goals in 13 games and then another four goals in the final.
Supporters flooded Orlando International Airport to welcome Dywer back to the city in July.
In 2018, Dwyer will have U.S. national team midfielder and MLS assistleader Sacha Kljestan feeding him the ball. Orlando City announced Kljestan’s signing Tuesday, getting him from the New York Red Bulls in exchange for Colombian striker Carlos Rivas and defender Tommy Redding.
Redding, who grew up in Oviedo, posted on Twitter Wednesday, “Thank you to everyone at Orlando City for the memorable experiences over the years. It was an honor to be a Lion and I wish nothing but the best to the team. To the fans, thank you for the amazing support. It was a pleasure being able to start my pro career in my hometown.”
Orlando City is not yet done dealing this offseason. More player announcements are expected this week and in the weeks to come.