How Daryl Dike got on in his first game back at Orlando City after West Brom exit | OneFootball

Daryl Dike made his return to the Orlando side following his exit from West Brom

Daryl Dike departed West Brom earlier this summer following the expiration of his contract.

The forward had a difficult period with the Baggies, where fitness issues played a significant role in his lack of game time.

The American signed for Albion in January 2022, making his return to English football after a spell on loan with Barnsley in 2020/21.

The 26-year-old made a total of 64 appearances in the Championship for the Midlands outfit, including 24 in the previous campaign.

Dike scored a total of 10 league goals for the club, with James Morrison’s side finishing 21st in his final season at the Hawthorns.

Since departing West Brom, he has made his return to MLS by rejoining Orlando City as a free agent.

Daryl Dike makes his on-pitch return for Orlando City

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Dike made his return to Orlando in July, but had to wait until Thursday evening to make his second debut for the club.

The forward came off the bench to help the team win 2-1 away to Monterrey, with goals from Antoine Griezmann and Tyrese Spicer proving key to securing the victory.

The former West Brom star came off the bench with just over 20 minutes to play, with the score already 2-0 at that stage.

He spoke following the game, claiming it felt good to get back out on the pitch for the first time after training for the last several weeks.

The 26-year-old credited his teammates with putting in a great shift to help secure the win, and that he was glad to receive such a warm welcome from the fans.

“It’s a very good feeling,” said Dike, via Loud & Proud Orlando on YouTube.

“I think, for me, for the past few weeks since I’ve been here, I’ve been working for that moment, to be included, to be part of the team, to help the team get a result.

“The guys put on a big shift even before I came on, so it was nice to be able to contribute.

“And of course the welcome from everybody there, as a player it’s what you want when you’re playing.”

Dike will now be hoping to play a significant role for Orlando, with the team competing in the Leagues Cup as well as in MLS.

The Miami outfit are currently 23rd in the overall standings, having won six of their 18 games in the league so far this season.

How Daryl Dike fared in Orlando return

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Dike didn’t see much of the ball during his first appearance back for Orlando, completing just two passes from four attempted (all stats courtesy of Fotmob).

The forward also took one shot during his 20-minute cameo, but it did not test the opposition goalkeeper.

Dike also attempted three dribbles, two of which were successful, but was caught offside on one occasion.

He will be hoping that this first appearance back will help him get back up to full match fitness.

Injury issues plagued his time at West Brom, but he was able to string together a more consistent run of appearances in his final year with the Championship club.

And the move back to MLS may be what he needed at this stage of his career in order to reset and get back to his best.

Dike made 35 league appearances for Orlando before signing for West Brom in 2022, where he scored on 18 occasions.

Orlando will also be hoping that he can rediscover this goal scoring form, particularly as he can now be paired with former French international, and World Cup winner, Griezmann.