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Intelligence Report: Dom Dwyer Trade

Published

7 years ago

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By now, most Orlando City fans have heard that Dom Dwyer (he scores when he wants) is a Lion once more, having been acquired yesterday from Sporting Kansas City for a king’s ransom worth of Garber bucks.

Since the Orlando City legend has been playing MLS soccer with Sporting Kansas City since we last saw him helping win the 2013 USL Pro championship for our Lions, he’s scored a lot of goals, married Sydney Leroux, had a child, became a U.S. citizen, and has been capped three times with the USMNT. So he’s clearly been busy.

What else? Well, we turned to Cody Bradley from SB Nation’s Sporting KC blog, The Blue Testament, for a little more background on our new old friend.

Why do you think Sporting Kansas City, given the team’s place in the table, was willing to part with Dwyer at this time?

Cody Bradley: That is definitely the part that hurts — the timing. Despite having their eyes on three trophies this year, Vermes and co. decided this was too good of a deal to pass up. This is an absolute gold mine of Garber bucks and the club can do so much with it.

There isn’t necessarily a lot to go on here, but I get the sense Dom wanted the move. Not that he wanted out of KC, but he knows Orlando would pay more — perhaps more than he’s worth — for him. They had been working on an extension for him but the sides couldn’t come to an agreement. Orlando City was willing to break the bank for him and I guess they saw this as the best offer they’d get for him over the next year and a half before his contact expires.

What should Orlando City fans know about Dom Dwyer today that may not have been the case back in 2013 when he last played in purple?

CB: Something he mentioned he put a focus on over the years was getting better at creating for his teammates. I think you’ll see him open up a defense every now and then with passing that’ll surprise you. But he is very much the same player at heart. He’ll grind down center backs every single play for 90 minutes and get on their nerves along the way. While he still doesn’t do well faced up with a defender 1-v-1, he can create something out of nothing at any moment. One other thing I would say is that Dom is a bit stronger than he used to be. Although, that seems to have cost him a bit of pace. He is still very quick in tight spaces and a speedy player all around, but his top speed may have dropped slightly.

What’s the overall impression you’re getting about how Sporting Kansas City fans feel about losing Dwyer and about the deal overall (is the record fee any consolation)?

CB: I saw it described very well by somebody else. They likened this Dom Dwyer trade with the “What color is this dress?” picture for SKC nation. There are fans at both ends of the spectrum. Plenty of people (many females…heh) are distraught. But others are very happy to be rolling in the money and excited to see what Vermes can do with all of it. Plus, he has only scored one goal for SKC since the beginning of May and that was the last goal of a 4-0 rout in the Open Cup.

Dom is a streaky player and while he scored the second-most goals of anyone in club history, he could have and really should have had many more. Some fans have been screaming for years now that Dwyer is overrated, but they are crazy. It just really sucks at the moment. This season was looking so bright and now we have a giant hole to worry about with the USOC semifinals coming up.

Most are rational enough to understand it’ll take time before we can see if this was a good deal or not. But very sad to see our boy go. You can imagine it is difficult for people here to see this kid that we drafted grow into a man, become an American, and start a family here right in front of our eyes…then go to a team he was with for not even two months and get #WelcomeHomeDom. It’s rough. But SKC is set up very nicely going forward.

How has Dom been most effectively deployed in Kansas City and has there been an Achilles’ Heel in his MLS game?

CB: Dom is a true No. 9. Stick him in the center of the attack and he will run for you and work for you all day until he sniffs out a mistake. He is also best as Chief Officer of Pissing Off the Other Guys. When the rest of the team is able to get up the field for him to work with is when he does the best. If he is all alone up the field, you have to hope the ref is calling fouls for him that day. He can be very clever in short moments running down a ball, but having taking on a defender 1-v-1 is not where you want him to be. He is great in hold-up play and can set a teammate up for a goal in the box, but he can’t have the ball at his feet for very long.

As for a real Achilles’ Heel, I have to go with offside. That AR is his absolute nemesis. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve thrown my hands up in the air because Dom couldn’t stay onside. But I think a lot of fans would tell you that it is missing sitters. I know every single fan base has the same complaint about their striker because it does happen. But you guys — I’m telling you — Dwyer misses some absolute stunners, and a lot of them. He likes to set himself up for it to be a perfect shot when he perhaps should have just put a boot through it and got an attempt on frame. It can be incredibly frustrating.

That being said, the dude scored goals at a rate we haven’t seen here in KC and nobody works harder on the field than he does. SKC will never be able to replicate what he brought to the team.

Big thanks to Cody from The Blue Testament for stopping by to share his thoughts on Dom Dwyer with us!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/11/24

Orlando Pride in Portland, U.S. men and women news, international upsets, and more.

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3 days ago

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October 11, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Milton has finally made its way out of Florida, though many of us will be dealing with the aftermath for a while. We hope that you and yours are safe and that the damage is minimal. I know that many are still without power — which is why I’m writing Lion Links today instead of Marcus Mitchell. Fortunately, the Orlando Pride play in Portland tonight, although it will be a late one. Let’s get to the links.

Pride in Portland

The Orlando Pride may be the NWSL Shield winners, but with three matches left in the regular season, the job is not done. Now, the club will take on the Portland Thorns. The Thorns haven’t been great as of late, but Providence Park is a tough place to play. While the club is focused on the upcoming playoffs, the Pride still want to finish undefeated in the regular season. Portland, like many clubs, are fighting for a playoff spot.

USWNT Players in the News

Lindsey Horan didn’t have the best Olympics in my opinion, but she is doing very well in her start to Lyon’s season. She’s scored five goals in four matches to help Lyon top the table. Back home, Crystal Dunn is being honored by Empowerment on the East River hosted by Black Players for Change.

USMNT in Action

The USMNT plays its first match under Mauricio Pochettino Saturday night against Panama, and you can watch it on multiple platforms. There are no conflicts of interest this go-around, but next year, some players will need to choose between playing in the Club World Cup or the Gold Cup.

International Results

Orlando City, and all the other teams and leagues, aren’t playing right now due to an international break. The matches have already begun. Perhaps the biggest news was Greece’s stunning 2-1 win over England. The victory puts Greece atop Group B2 in the UEFA Nations League competition.

Over in Group A2, Italy blew a two-goal lead to draw Belgium 2-2. There were plenty of other results, including Erling Haaland becoming his country’s all-time top scorer after scoring a brace in Norway’s 3-0 win over Slovenia. If you want to catch more matches, here’s where you can watch.

Free Kicks

That will do it for today. Check back tonight for our Pride match recap, and follow The Mane Land on Twitter during the match. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/10/24

Orlando City’s potential as a playoff dark horse, the Orlando Pride’s rise to prominence, the USMNT prepares for Panama, and more.

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4 days ago

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October 10, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

I hope you’re all staying safe out there as Hurricane Milton tears across the state of Florida. While we endure the storm and wait for the Orlando Pride to play in Portland on Friday night, let’s distract ourselves with some links from around the soccer world.

Orlando City’s Dark Horse Potential

On the latest episode of the Offside with Taylor Twellman podcast, he spoke on how Orlando City will be a dark horse in the tournament. The Lions have been on an incredible run of form over the past few months and can host in the first round of the playoffs if they manage to hold onto the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference. Nearly all of the team’s attackers are hitting their stride and a recent win over FC Cincinnati is evidence that the Lions aren’t to be overlooked in this year’s playoffs.

“[Orlando City is] the best team in MLS since July 1 and they are scoring goals for fun while winning 10 of those 13 games,” Twellman said. “They will fight, they will claw, basically they will do anything to get under your skin.

“Nobody, and I mean nobody, wants to play this version of Orlando City.”

How the Orlando Pride Made History

It still feels a bit surreal that the Orlando Pride lifted the NWSL Shield with three games left to play this season. Here’s a great feature by Henry Bushnell of Yahoo Sports that dives into some of the reasons behind the Pride’s dominance this season. Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter has helped build a culture of confidence, comfort, and resilience by investing in the players as humans and not just what they can do on the field.

Pro Soccer Wire‘s Jason Anderson detailed how the Pride were able to beat the Washington Spirit to deservedly lift the trophy and it’s also a great read. The Pride did well to adjust to the Spirit’s commitment to their formation and cranked up the tempo to create opportunities to win.

MLS 2024 22 Under 22 List Unveiled

Although Michael Halliday and Heine Gikling Bruseth were eligible, no Lions made this year’s MLS 22 Under 22. Inter Miami midfielder Diego Gomez tops the list, with Real Salt Lake’s Diego Luna and the Philadelphia Union’s Jack McGlynn rounding out the top three. The youngest player on the list is 15-year-old midfielder Cavan Sullivan, while the Chicago Fire’s Chris Brady is the only goalkeeper to make the cut. Of the 22 players listed, 16 play in the Eastern Conference. As for notable players who weren’t listed, CF Montreal’s Caden Clark has thrived since being traded by Minnesota United and Matai Akinmboni deserves some recognition for his role in D.C. United’s defense at 17 years old.

USMNT Prepares for Panama

The United States Men’s National Team will play its first match under Mauricio Pochettino on Saturday when it takes on Panama in a friendly in Austin. This will be a rematch of when the two nations squared off in Copa America on June 27, with the U.S. falling 2-1. The Yanks failed to make it out of the group stage of that tournament and Gregg Berhalter was fired as head coach in July. A statement win against a Panamanian side that’s currently 37th in the FIFA rankings would be a great start to Pochettino’s tenure as head coach.

Free Kicks

That’ll do it for me today, as my power has just gone out, so it’s the perfect time to wrap things up. Stay safe out there!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/9/24

Orlando City’s on fire, OCB to face the Fire (2), the USMNT’s upcoming friendly, and more.

Published

5 days ago

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October 9, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. I made the trip down to Inter&Co Stadium to see the Orlando Pride win the 2024 NWSL Shield over the weekend. I know it was raining — fortunately, I remembered my rain jacket — but if you weren’t there, you really missed an amazing night. You can read about it in our recap, but seeing the team raise that shield was unforgettable. Hopefully, it won’t be the only hardware the Pride raise this year. Let’s get to the links.

Red Hot Lions

Orlando City has won 10 of its last 13 matches to climb into position to potentially begin the playoffs with home-field advantage. The run of good form has the Lions sitting in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The latest 3-1 victory over FC Cincinnati moved the team from eighth to sixth in the MLS Power Rankings, and up to fifth in the Goal.com Power Rankings. Orlando City’s last match of the season will be at home against Atlanta United on October 19.

Pride’s Success No Accident

Marta had a great match Sunday and more than earned her moment in the sun when she lifted the NWSL Shield. Of course, none of that happens if the people working behind the scenes aren’t doing everything possible to help the Pride in this incredible turnaround. The players will likely tell you that the club’s success is in part thanks to the organization that has been built.

Of course, not every women’s club gets the amount of support that the Orlando Pride receive. Many clubs do not have the infrastructure from staff to facilities to truly grow the women’s game. It’s an issue for many clubs in various leagues across the world. Coaches end up having to pick up the slack, and that isn’t sustainable. While I’m grateful that the Wilf family and Haley Carter are providing the necessary tools for the Pride to succeed, I would like to see other organizations step up as well.

OCB to Face Chicago Fire II in Playoffs

Orlando City B will square off against Chicago Fire II away from home to start the playoffs. OCB finished the MLS NEXT Pro regular season in fifth place — which isn’t too bad when you look back a few weeks. Unfortunately for OCB, the top four clubs get to choose their first-round opponent in the playoffs (well, the top three do…the fourth-place club doesn’t really have a choice). It’s one of the weird things that MLS NEXT Pro does. No one above the fourth-place Chicago Fire II opted to play the Young Lions. The match between the Young Lions and Chicago Fire II will take place Sunday, Oct. 20, at 3 p.m.

USMNT Ready for Poche

The Mauricio Pochettino era for the USMNT kicks off Saturday with a friendly against Panama at Q2 Stadium in Austin, TX. Three days later, the new U.S. boss will face rival Mexico in Guadalajara. Big-name players like Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie are on the roster. One player who won’t be there is the injured Folarin Balogun. That might open a window of opportunity for Josh Sargent to make a splash with the new coach. Sargent’s more rounded style of play is something that forwards have demonstrated under Pochettino at the club level. A friendly is exactly the sort of place for Sargent to show his stuff.

Free Kicks

That will do it for today. Check back this week as we get you ready for the Pride’s upcoming match in Portland. Most importantly, stay safe as this hurricane makes its way towards Florida. Vamos Orlando!

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