Dike makes USMNT debut, ships out to England
Daryl Dike typed six words and pressed send.
"My dreams are turning into reality," the Edmond North alum tweeted Sunday night after making his debut with the U.S. men's national team.
In the 65 th minute of the United States' 7- 0 win against Trinidad and Tobago, Dike stepped onto the familiar pitch at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida. Just 20 years old, Dike had reached a personal milestone while becoming the third member of his family to play for a national team. His brother Bright had two caps for the Nigerian national team, while sister Courtney played in a World Cup for Nigeria.
Not even 24 hours later, Daryl Dike' s career took another star turn—he' s heading to South Yorkshire, England.
Dike's Major League Soccer club, Orlando City SC, loaned him on Monday to second-tier English Championship club Barnsley FC until the end of the 2020-21 season in May. The Orlando Sentinel reported that the deal will include an option for Barnsley to purchase his contract — at a cost of $20 million for 80% of Dike's rights.
"We' re ecstatic to get a player of Daryl's caliber into the squad," Barnsley FC CEO Dane Murphy said in a team release. "He has had a rapid rise in his career over the last two years showing he possesses a ton of talent. The club believes he will undoubtedly prove a real asset between now and May. ... I must thank the group at Orlando City for allowing Daryl to join us and I have no doubt that he will be a success at Oakwell.”
Dike could join the lineup as early as Saturday ahead of next week's clash with Chelsea in the FA Cup.
He will wear the coveted No. 10 jersey for Barnsley, which is just eight points out of sixth place and a spot in the promotion playoffs where it could make the Premier League next season.
With a potential work stop page forth eM LS, Dike could potentially find himself playing in the Premier League before long.
“Orlando has helped me so much in my career in such a short time, and working together to provide this opportunity for me is just another example of that,” Dike said in a release. “I'm very grateful to have a deal that will be beneficial for both myself and the club. I'm excited to continue my development a nd keep up my fitness while with Barnsley and look forward to bringing what I learn back to Orlando to continue our success here in MLS.”
Orlando City SC selected Dike fifth overall last January in Major League Soccer's Super Draft out of the University of Virginia. Dike didn't disappoint.
In just 17 appearances during the 2020 MLS season, Dike had eight goals and four assists. Dike, who was named The Oklahoma n' s AllCity boys soccer player of the year in 2017, earned MLS Player of the Month honors in August.
“We believe this opportunity with Barnsley will present another step in his career,” Orlando City SC executive vice president of soccer operations Luiz Muzzi said in a release, “to not only develop in a new footballing environment, but to challenge himself in a new country and we're excited for him to bring those learnings back to us here in Orlando.”