You can put money on him to do that. West Brom are a far better-run club than Sunderland - not a terribly high bar - and Ismael has a vastly better coaching record than Di Crazio. This move has a lot to be optimistic about.
It will be interesting to see the two careers develop. Dike has essentially scored at a similar pace as Jozy did in his first couple of MLS seasons - but, of course, Daryl is a bit older than Jozy was. Their USMNT scoring rate for the first 7-8 games is very similar too. My guess is DD's less ambitious first non-MLS moves will set him up for a more stable British career - perhaps between EPL and Champs over time - but it will be fun to watch.
Not sure how it'll play out- and will definitely be fun to watch Dike... really hoping for the best for the kid. Jozy was a much more complete player at the same age, from his US youth/Bradenton days on into his early MetroStar/RB ones. Not saying he was the more prolific goal scorer, just that you could see he was coming from the best training the US could offer at that time and looked like a well-rounded pro... even as a teen. Dike... not so much. He has a lot of fundamentals that are still pretty raw for a 21 yo pro. But the guy is still getting it done DESPITE that difference, so I'm hoping and cautiously optimistic that his skills growth curve over the next couple years in England will be massive.
I'd be happy with a 9 who is to McBride's level, which was really good. We have enough surrounding pieces that we don't need a 9 to carry the team, just be productive and dependable.
Yeah, I think there two (broadstroke) possibilities: 1) Dike's later arrival in the more competitive reaches of footie mean he's better able to learn the lessons and has a very steep learning curve in the coming year or 3. 2) Dike's later arrival means he missed out on some key aspects of development that it's too late to really refine at this point. I really think this (bluntly presented) range of options is different for each player. Will be interesting to see how DD progresses at a (relatively) late age.
I honestly thought this was going to be Sargent, at least based on his youth days. Hopefully one of these young forwards learns on the job super-fast over the remainder of the season and can be that guy (or more) for the US through WCQ and Qatar.
dike also isnt going from holland to the prem like jozy did. this is a lateral move to another club in a league hes already shown he can score
I dunno, I just hopped over from the McKennie thread and there are some similarities, or will be, I hope. Dike can improve his touch, his runs, his tactical understanding, his timing. He's already got great size, strength, bravery. He's got some great intangibles that you *can't* teach or develop. The big question for him will be his technical ability. I think that's his biggest hole...but we've seen plenty of guys go from pot roast to caviar in that respect.
Interview: https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-...o-west-brom-means-for-his-national-team-hopes While his skills and high activity levels initially took him pretty far, the key to Dike's ability, thriving quickly in new situations, came from his ability to learn quickly. "I think at the beginning of my career, it was just about going into the box and hoping that the pass could come to me," Dike said. "I've been blessed to have great teammates around me, who have some chance creation [ability], and with Valerien, with Oscar [Pareja, Orlando City's coach], with [USMNT manager Gregg] Berhalter, all of these people have made it a big emphasis for me to be able to find myself in spaces, being able to make runs behind the back line, being above to find spaces in the box with double movements and making my shots easier in terms of getting in a better position."
Kind of an odd position to be in compared to last winter's loan. Dike showed up at Barnsley without much pressure or hype and he ended up exceeding expectations (if there were any). He's a baggie now and for the foreseeable future yet there's quite a bit of pressure and anticipation for him to score and lift their attack right away. Hope he gets that first goal out of the way on Sat. against QPR.
Lest we forget, he also kinda fizzled out toward the end of his time at Barnsley and had a rough transition back to MLS life. He was clearly exhausted and banged up...if he can come out firing and has improved since when he first played at Barnsley, he's gonna light it up.
Yeah the playoff game was disappointing but he'd run out of gas at that point. Not to mention refs basically allowed defenders to do whatever they wanted to him without any repercussion those last 5 matches or so.
Yeah. Those defenders are rare, even in the Championship, though not at the top teams. Mind you, CBs as big and strong as he is will be pretty rare in the EPL too but the CBs there are far faster and way smarter than anything in the Championship so his size and physicality will be neutralized pretty quickly unless he brings other qualities to the table. I believe that he will, otherwise Ismael wouldn't have wanted to reunite with him. Barnsley are a bottom of the Championship side with a League One budget so Ismael had to play Route One ball. At West Brom he has the players and the financial resources to play a more sophisticated game, yet he still signed Daryl. He knows the lad has much more to offer than bludgeoning defences into submission every Saturday.
so if he gets better across the board, he might approach Wes levels? I agree. I kid... I like Dike. But he's a long ways away from being as skillful- on the ball and in the mind (tactics, timing, spatial awareness) as Swag. He does seem to have a great attitude, great physical attributes, and a raw set of skills as an undeveloped pro that absolutely should improve with more pt against better competition, but I'm far less certain that all of those skills- especially the mental ones- can be learned to improve him to that level.
I think his on-the-ball skills are the real detriment; his dribbling and first touch are close to the worst I have seen of any non-GK/CB with a modicum of success at the Championship level or higher. If anything, I think his playing intelligence is an absolute strength; he seems extremely self-aware of his weaknesses and makes the most of his physical attributes to compensate for them.
Doesn't look like the West Brom match will be shown on ESPN+ tomorrow. That may be a league decision, but too bad for those of us wanting to see Daryl play his first game for the club.
I mean Fulham have also proved the value in having a striker that can dominate the Championship and give you average output in the Premier League for a yo-yo club.