Daryl Enyinnaya Dike (born June 3, 2000) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a striker for

EFL Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the E ...

club

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional Association football, football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English foo ...

and the United States national team. Dike played

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and Philippines, the Philippines. Th ...

for the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with College admission ...

and was selected in the first round (5th overall) of the

2020 MLS SuperDraft The 2020 MLS SuperDraft was the 21st edition of the SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The 2020 SuperDraft was the first SuperDraft held exclusively via conference call and web streaming. The first two rounds of the 2020 SuperDraft were ...

by Orlando having already signed a

Generation Adidas Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young professional soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by Adidas, offers professional-ready players in the U.S ...

contract.

Early years

Born in

Edmond, Oklahoma Edmond is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area in the central part of the state. The population was 94,428 according to the 2020 United States Census, making it the fifth largest ...

, Dike played soccer at Edmond North High School, captaining the side from his sophomore season onward. A three-time Oklahoma Offensive Player of the Year, he scored an Oklahoma 6A state record 70 goals and helped his team win a state championship. In 2018 he was named

Gatorade Player of the Year The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball, boys' and girls' basketball, boys' and girls' cross country, boys' football, boys' a ...

for Oklahoma. Dike played for OKC Energy U23 in the PDL during the 2018 season between high school and college soccer, making four appearances and scoring three goals.

Virginia Cavaliers

Ahead of the

2018 NCAA Division I men's soccer season The 2018 NCAA Division I men's soccer season was the 60th season of NCAA championship men's college soccer. The regular season began on August 24, 2018 and continued into the first weekend of November 2018. The season culminated with the four-tea ...

, Dike signed a

national letter of intent National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...

to play

for the

Virginia Cavaliers The Virginia Cavaliers, also known as ''Wahoos'' or ''Hoos'', are the athletic teams representing the University of Virginia, located in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers compete at the NCAA Division I level ( FBS for football), in the Atlantic ...

. Originally a reserve, Dike became a regular starter for the Cavaliers a month into the season. He made his college soccer debut on September 18, 2018, playing 34 minutes in a 2–0 victory against FIU. On September 21, 2018, Dike made his first start, playing 57 minutes in a 2–0 win at

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States * Syracuse, New York ** East Syracuse, New York ** North Syracuse, New York * Syracuse, Indiana *Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, M ...

. Dike scored his first collegiate goal on October 2, 2018, in a 2–1 victory against

Wright State Wright State University is a public research university in Fairborn, Ohio. Originally opened in 1964 as a branch campus of Miami University and Ohio State University, it became an independent institution in 1967 and was named in honor of aviation ...

. He scored four more goals during the season before an injury sidelined him during the 2018 ACC Men's Soccer Tournament. Dike returned on November 18, 2018 for the NCAA tournament, where he recorded his first collegiate assist in a 2–0 victory against Furman. Dike finished the 2018 season with 13 appearances, five goals, and an assist. Dike was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team and the ACC Academic Honor Roll. Dike started all 23 matches for Virginia during his sophomore year. On August 30, 2019, in the opening game of the 2019 season, Dike registered two assists in a 2–0 win against

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. Dike led the Cavaliers with goals and assists during the 2019 season, netting 10 goals and providing eight assists. He scored both of Virginia's two goals on December 13, 2019 in the College Cup semifinals against Wake Forest. On December 15, 2019, Dike scored the tying goal in the 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship Game against Georgetown to send the game to overtime, where Virginia ultimately lost in penalty kicks. Dike was named the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament Most Outstanding Player following the match, giving Dike his first national collegiate award. Additionally, Dike was named to the All-ACC Second Team.

Professional career

Orlando City

Rookie season

On January 9, 2020, Dike was selected in the first round (5th overall) of the

by Orlando City having already signed a

contract. On July 25, 2020, he made his professional debut as an 75th-minute substitute for

Tesho Akindele Tesho Akindele (born March 31, 1992) is a Canadian former professional soccer player. Club career Early career Tesho Akindele was born in Canada to a Nigerian father and a Canadian mother and moved with his family to the US at the age of eig ...

in a 1–0 victory over Montreal Impact during the

MLS is Back Tournament The MLS is Back Tournament took place during the 2020 Major League Soccer season to mark the league's return to action after being suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 26 Major League Soccer teams, 24 participated in the tourna ...

round of 16. On August 22, Dike made his first start for the team in his first regular season MLS match and subsequently scored his first professional goal in a 3–2 defeat to

Inter Miami Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami, known as Inter Miami CF or simply Inter Miami, is an American professional soccer club based in the Miami metropolitan area. Established in 2018, the club began play in Major League Soccer (MLS) in the 2020 ...

. Four days later he scored his first career brace in a 3–1 win over

Nashville SC Nashville Soccer Club is a Major League Soccer team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The team began play in the league in 2020 as a continuation of the USL club of the same name and plays its home matches at Geodis Park. It is principally owned ...

. With three goals and two assists in five matches, Dike was named

MLS Player of the Month The Major League Soccer Player of Month is a monthly soccer award given to players in Major League Soccer. The honor is given to the player deemed to have had the best cumulative performance in each month by a panel of journalists from the North ...

for August 2020. In October, Dike was announced as #10 in the annual MLS 22 Under 22 list, the first Orlando player since

Cyle Larin Cyle Christopher Larin (; born April 17, 1995) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Belgian First Division A team Club Brugge and the Canada national team. After playing college soccer for the UConn Huskies, La ...

in 2017 to be included. With MLS electing to change the annual Rookie of the Year award to

Young Player of the Year Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one is young, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an American r ...

in 2020, Dike was the highest-ranked rookie but came third in the voting behind five-year pro Diego Rossi and second-year pro Brenden Aaronson.

Loan to Barnsley

On February 1, 2021, Dike joined

club Barnsley on loan until the end of the 2020–21 season with a reported $20 million option to buy and 20% sell-on fee clause. He was only able to meet the criteria for a UK work permit because he had made his senior international debut the day before. He made his Barnsley debut on February 11, as a 59th-minute substitute for

Victor Adeboyejo Ayomide Victor Adeboyejo (born 12 January 1998) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for EFL League One side Burton Albion. Club career Leyton Orient After spells with the academies of Arsenal, AFC Wimbledon and Charlto ...

in a 1–0 FA Cup fifth round defeat to

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

side

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament const ...

. He made his league debut three days later, starting and playing 56 minutes of a 2–0 win over

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings w ...

. He scored his first goal for the club on February 24 in a 2–0 league win over

Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Sto ...

. With four goals in six appearances, Dike was named Barnsley's player of the month for March. He also won the club's goal of the month award for a thunderous strike in a 1–0 win over

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...

on March 6. The strike was later voted as the club's goal of the season. On April 21, Dike scored a

bicycle kick In association football, a bicycle kick, also known as an overhead kick, scissors kick, is an acrobatic strike where a player kicks an airborne ball rearward in midair. It is achieved by throwing the body backward up into the air and, before ...

in a 1–0 win over

Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. ...

. The result moved Barnsley six points clear of

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

in the race for the final promotion play-off place with three games to go. On April 28, Dike was named the club's player of the month for the second consecutive time having scored four goals in six games including two game-winners. Having confirmed their playoff status, Barnsley came to an agreement with Orlando City on April 29 to prevent Dike from being recalled during the postseason. He started the semifinal first leg at home as Barnsley lost 1–0 before appearing as a halftime substitute during a 1–1 draw in the second leg. Dike's loan expired on May 31 with Orlando City announcing in a statement the following day that Barnsley had elected not to trigger the release clause.

2021 season

Having missed the first part of the season while finishing his Barnsley loan before joining up with the United States national team, Dike eventually made his 2021 season debut for Orlando as a second half substitute on June 19 in a 3–2 win over

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BM ...

. He started the following game, scoring twice in a 5–0 victory against

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchis ...

. He made a further two appearances before again leaving on international duty at the

2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 16th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's soccer championship of the North, Central American, and Caribbean region organized by CONCACAF. The tournament was originally scheduled ...

. He missed five games due to the tournament and returned with a shoulder injury and tendinitis, forcing him to miss a further five games including Orlando's continental debut in the

2021 Leagues Cup The 2021 Leagues Cup was the second edition of the Leagues Cup organized by Major League Soccer and the Mexican Football Federation. The tournament was originally planned to include sixteen teams but was later reduced to eight teams. The 2020 ...

. With the team struggling to stay above the playoff line from early August, Dike started slow on his return to the side - scoring and assisting once (both in a 3–2 victory over

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as on ...

) in five games. He eventually found form, scoring in three consecutive games for the second time in his pro career. The streak notably included a penalty as Dike took duties away from veteran Portugal international Nani who had failed to convert the previous game, Orlando's third miss on five attempts in 2021. In October, it was announced that Dike was ranked #2 behind only

Ricardo Pepi Ricardo Daniel Pepi (born January 9, 2003) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a striker for Eredivisie club FC Groningen, on loan from FC Augsburg, and the United States national team. Early life Pepi was born in El Paso, T ...

on the annual MLS 22 Under 22, up from #10 on the previous year's list.

West Bromwich Albion

On January 1, 2022, Dike signed for

of the English

on a four-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee. On January 16, Dike made his debut for West Bromwich Albion, coming on as a substitute in a 1–0 loss to Queen's Park Rangers. He scored his first goal for the club on 12 December 2022 in a 2–1 win against

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

International career

In November 2020, Dike was called up to the United States national team for the first time for a friendly against

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by ...

but did not appear after picking up an injury in training. He made his debut for the United States on January 31, 2021, as a 65th-minute substitute for Paul Arriola in a 7–0 friendly win over

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, small ...

. In May 2021, Dike was called into training camp for the

2021 CONCACAF Nations League Finals The 2020 CONCACAF Nations League Finals was the final tournament of the 2019–20 edition of the CONCACAF Nations League, the inaugural season of the international football competition involving the men's national teams of the member associati ...

but did not make the final squad. He scored his first international goal on June 9, 2021, in a 4–0 friendly win over Costa Rica at

Rio Tinto Stadium America First Field (formerly Rio Tinto Stadium and referred to as The RioT) is an American soccer-specific stadium in Sandy, Utah, that serves as home stadium for Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake. The stadium opened on October 9, 2008 ...

. In July 2021, Dike was named to the final 23-player roster for the

. On July 15, he scored his first competitive goals when he scored a

brace Brace(s) or bracing may refer to: Medical * Orthopaedic brace, a device used to restrict or assist body movement ** Back brace, a device limiting motion of the spine *** Milwaukee brace, a kind of back brace used in the treatment of spinal cu ...

during a 6–1 group stage win over

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island and an Overseas department and region, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of ...

Personal life

The youngest of five siblings, Dike's eldest brother,

Bright Dike Chinedu "Bright" Dike (born 2 February 1987) is a retired footballer who played as a forward. Born in the United States, he represented the Nigeria national team. Career College and amateur Born in Edmond, Oklahoma, Dike attended Edmond N ...

, was also a first round MLS Superdraft pick in

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

and has played for the Nigerian national team. His sister, Courtney, was capped by

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of G ...

and made two appearances at the

2015 FIFA Women's World Cup The 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup was the seventh FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international soccer championship contested by the women's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament was hosted by Canada for the ...

. He is the cousin of

international striker

Emmanuel Emenike Emmanuel Chinenye Emenike (born 10 May 1987) is a Nigerian former footballer who played as a striker. He most recently played for Belgian club Westerlo. Club career Delta Force F.C. Emenike started his football career with Delta Force. At t ...

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list United States's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Dike goal.''

Honors

Virginia Cavaliers * ACC regular season:

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

* ACC Men's Soccer Tournament:

NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament The NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament, sometimes known as the College Cup, is an American intercollegiate soccer tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the Division I men's national champ ...

runner-up:

United States *

CONCACAF Gold Cup The CONCACAF Gold Cup ( es, Copa de Oro de la CONCACAF, french: Coupe D'or CONCACAF) is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the continental champion of North Amer ...

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

Individual * NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament Most Outstanding Player: 2019 *

: August 2020 *

Fans Player of the Month: April 2021

References

External links

Daryl Dike
at

USL League Two USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league sy ...

*
Daryl Dike
at

Athletics {{DEFAULTSORT:Dike, Daryl 2000 births Living people People from Edmond, Oklahoma Sportspeople from Oklahoma County, Oklahoma Soccer players from Oklahoma American sportspeople of Nigerian descent American soccer players Association football forwards NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament Most Outstanding Player winners Virginia Cavaliers men's soccer players Orlando City SC draft picks Orlando City SC players Barnsley F.C. players West Bromwich Albion F.C. players 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup players USL League Two players Major League Soccer players English Football League players United States men's international soccer players Expatriate footballers in England American expatriate sportspeople in England CONCACAF Gold Cup-winning players