Daryl Dike USA international future questioned, national team unsure ‘how to utilise’ West Brom striker
Daryl Dike’s international future with the USA has been thrown into doubt, with the nation unsure “how to utilise” the West Brom striker.
Dike featured in the USA’s two wins over the international break, coming off the bench against Grenada before starting against El Salvador.
But the Albion attacker failed to find the back of the net, instead watching his fellow forwards thrive as the USA scored eight goals across the two matches.
Voting the striker’s stock down from the two matches, CBS wrote: “This isn’t really Daryl Dike’s fault for a few reasons as the team didn’t use his strengths. Dike needs to stay high and let the ball come to him and this needed him to come deep and create his own chances, so it doesn’t seem like this version of the USMNT knows how to utilise true target forwards.
“With one eye turned to the Folarin Balogun sweepstakes, this was a chance for Dike to ensure that he stays in the conversation as a forward who can contribute moving forward.
“But with Ricardo Pepi scoring, Josh Sargent and Jesus Ferreira both likely returning to the squad at the next opportunity, it could be tight to fit Dike in. He’ll even need to fend off Brandon Vazquez sooner than later.”
Dike place assured
Dike will not listen too much to any outside noise after his displays in the latest international break, with interim coach Anthony Hudson clearly relying on the West Brom forward.
And as long as Dike continues to bang in the goals for his club, he should have no problems getting into his national team.
The striker has seven goals from his 19 Championship matches this season, and has three goals from his nine USA games. They are impressive figures from a player who has missed a large chunk of the campaign with a thigh injury.
While his place in the USA squad should not be threatened, a place in the starting XI is another issue, with that honour expected to fall to Pepi after he netted three times across the two matches.
There is also the threat of the aforementioned Balogun, with the Arsenal loanee able to represent England, Nigeria and the USA at international level, a decision he has yet to make.
In other West Brom news, Albion duo Jayson Molumby and Dara O’Shea impressed the Irish media following the Republic of Ireland’s gutsy 1-0 defeat to France on Monday (27 March).