Big Daryl Dike 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Injury; Americans in Championship 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Shine

“There’s only one Daryl Dike!”

—West Brom fans chanting at the 12th minute of Tuesday’s Baggies match. Fans at the Hawthorns held a minute’s applause to pay tribute to injured striker, their No. 12. (Watch)

To Better Days Ahead for Daryl Dike:

Just five games into his return from a 300-day absence due to a ruptured Achilles tendon, West Brom striker Daryl Dike 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (23; Edmond, OK) was carted off the field in tears on Saturday after suffering yet another injury, this time another ruptured Achilles, but to his other foot.

The moment was nothing short of heartbreaking to witness. Dike had already missed 414 days of action due to four previous serious injuries. The USMNT forward had worked so hard to make it back to the pitch, only to have the one thing he wants — to play football — cruelly taken away from him yet again.

If there is one positive to come from this, it’s been the show of support from the club, the fans, and Daryl’s West Brom and USA teammates. West Brom captain Jed Wallace had some moving words to share after Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Ipswich Town.

🗣 “We have a very tight-knit dressing room this season and, although it was a good point yesterday against a really strong team, the general mood of the boys today is disappointment for a loved member of our squad. We have all seen how hard [Dike] has worked in the last nine months to get back to playing the game he loves. This is a family club and everyone within will support Daryl physically and mentally over the coming period.”

Before Tuesday’s match against Cardiff City, Dike’s USMNT teammate Ethan Horvath 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (28; Highlands Ranch, CO), who signed with the Bluebirds in the January window, donned a Dike shirt before kickoff to pay tribute to his injured teammate. Dike’s West Brom teammates also did the same in a show of support.

Anyone who listens to our interviews with Daryl — most recently with Herculez Gomez on VAMOS (Listen) — knows him to be an amazing human being with a big, big heart. We wish Daryl and his family strength and health during this difficult time. To better days ahead. ❤️

That Championship Spirit:

While the English second tier has been a cruel place for Dike as of late, the EFL Championship has granted good fortune to two other American forwards as of late. Balance of order being restored in the footballing universe, one might say.

Josh Sargent 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (23; O’Fallon, MO) has been unstoppable as of late, now having scored in three straight matches for Norwich City, his most recent a penalty put-back during a 4-2 win against Watford on Monday (Watch). Sargent now has a remarkable eight goals in 14 league appearances this season. The Canaries are outside of the promotion playoff spots on goal differential only.

Also on a remarkable run of form, Haji Wright 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (25; Los Angeles, CA) is now up to 11 goals in all competitions this season after bagging a brace in Coventry City’s 2-1 win against Millwall on Sunday. A tenacious striker willing to do the hard yards to grind his way to his Premier League dreams, the USMNT forward also seems to grasp that there’s much in life that’s beyond our control, as his second goal on the day came after playing rock, paper, scissors with teammate Callum O’Hare — a story covered by NPR — to determine who would get to take the shot (Watch).

Even if Coventry boss Mark Robins was left unimpressed by the teammates’ decision-making strategy, sometimes perhaps it’s best to leave these things to fate. After each injustice, perhaps there’s a turn of good fortune awaiting just round the bend.

Ongoing American Excellence in the Eredivisie:

As with England, the Netherlands is showing itself to be a fertile region for American goals these days.

Ricardo Pepi 🇳🇱 (21; El Paso, TX) scored his fifth league goal of the season for PSV in their 5-1 win at Volendam on Sunday (Watch). Pepi’s remarkable rate of 1.97 goals scored per 90 minutes played is the highest of any player in Europe’s top 10 leagues who’s played in 10 or more matches, something his boss feels is due to his innate feel for the game. 

"The first touch and shot from Pepi are always truly excellent,” said PSV manager Peter Bosz after the game. “A tremendous quality of his." 

(To hear more from PSV USA trio Pepi, Malik Tillman 🇳🇱 (21; Nürnberg, GER) and Sergiño Dest 🇳🇱 (23; Almere, NED), be sure to send your questions to PSV club socials for a special Q&A with the American trio.)

Doing his best to boost his own goals per 90 ratio, Taylor Booth 🇳🇱 showed he can score even when Herculez Gomez does not interview him before a match 😉, and scored twice for FC Utrecht in their 4-0 win against Fortuna Sittard on Sunday (Watch). That’s five goals in his last two for the 22-year-old from Eden, Utah.

After joining Booth and the PSV Three in the Eredivisie during the January window, Paxten Aaronson 🇳🇱 (20; Medford, NJ) made his full debut for Vitesse in their 3-2 loss at Heracles on Saturday. And another American is set to join the party in the Netherlands, as American youth international Paulo Rudisill 🇳🇱 (18; Irvine, CA) has completed a move from the LA Galaxy to Feyenoord.

News and Notes:

• A special American Women (Girls?) Abroad shout-out this week to teen sensation Lily Yohannes 🇳🇱 (16; Springfield, VA) who celebrated scoring her fourth league goal of the season for Ajax by hitting the Griddy (Watch). Football is absolutely at its best when played with these levels of joy and enthusiasm. Want MORE women’s football? Make sure to subscribe to The Women’s Game Newsletter (which flies every Monday) and follow our new The Women’s Game channels at @WomensGameMIB on socials and @WomensGameMIB on YouTube.

• Johnny Cardoso 🇪🇸 (22; Denville, NJ) got his first assist for Real Betis (Watch), and was also named match MVP in Los Verdiblancos’ 2-0 win at Cadiz on Friday.

• Lennard Maloney 🇩🇪 (24; Berlin, GER) scored his first-ever Bundesliga goal for 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 in their 2-1 win at Werder Bremen on Saturday (Watch). With the victory, the 46ers are all the way up to ninth in the table, just five points out of the European spots. Truly remarkable for their first season in the German top flight.

• It’s worth taking a moment to recognize the great season Antonee Robinson 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (26; Liverpool, ENG) is having with Fulham. Along with his four assists, Jedi is the runaway Premier League interceptions leader by some margin. Best two-way defender since Deion Sanders.

• Gio Reyna 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (21; Bedford, NY) made his second substitute appearance (73’) in Forest’s 3-2 loss to Newcastle. While he did not set the world on fire, he did not set a foot wrong either. Credit him either way. He wants the ball and does not seem daunted by his new surroundings. Whatever happens over the rest of the season, he will learn so much in this moment.

• Folarin Balogun 🇫🇷 (22; London, ENG) got back in the goals for Monaco, converting a penalty in his side’s Coupe de France loss to FC Rouen last Thursday.

• Congrats to Nico Gioacchini 🇮🇹 (23; Kansas City, MO) for making his debut for Italian Serie B side Como in their 1-0 win over Brescia on Friday. Nico celebrated by putting on his chef’s hat for club socials.

• Props to Jonathan Tomkinson 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (21; Plano, TX) for getting his third-straight start in midfield for English League Two side Bradford City. The Bantams are now undefeated in JT’s last 5 starts, and are just four points off the fourth-tier promotion playoff spots. Dear fellow CONCACAF-ians Ryan and Rob, lad might make a decent Wrexham summer signing, no? 😉

• Danny Trejo 🇵🇱 (25; Mendota, CA) scored in his first appearance for Korona Kielce in Poland’s top flight on Monday, in their 2-1 win over Lodzki KS.

• And Cade Cowell 🇲🇽 (20; Ceres, CA) continues to cowboy it up in Liga MX. 😂

Parting Shots:

USMNT boss Gregg Berhalter held a media roundtable on Tuesday, and shared some thoughts and updates on a few key Americans during the press session. Weston McKennie 🇮🇹 (25; Little Elm, TX) received praise for his character and competitive spirit. "When you talk about this negative energy or negative attention, I mean, he’s dealt with it all. He’s a guy that doesn’t have a place in the [Juventus] team, and fights his way back into being not only a starter, but one of the most important members of the team." Dest’s red card at Trinidad & Tobago — which will keep him out of the Nations League semi-final match against Jamaica — was described as a “great moment for the team” and “a great learning experience.” And Berhalter admitted that he was still unsure whether Tyler Adams 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (25; Wappingers Falls, NY) would be fit enough to feature for the USMNT in this summer’s Copa America.

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