The blog confirmed Oakland Roots are set to sign veteran MLS striker Dom Dwyer to a contract. Roots officially announced the move on Thursday.
Per source, his contract slots in the top tier of USL Championship salaries. He had offers from other clubs, but elected to join Roots because of its “community” minded approach and its an opportunity to continue building his brand.
We’ve heard rumblings about Roots being in the market for a new center forward since the preseason, but a move never materialized until now. Oakland was eying Dwyer since the offseason, per source.
Now with Dwyer coming to Oakland, it provides a possible spark to Roots attack. A club source characterized him as an obvious veteran who will step into a starting center forward spot alongside Johnny Rodriguez. He’ll wear the #9 in Oakland.
He last played in 2022 with Atlanta United, where he made 22 appearances and five starts, recording four goals in 617 minutes of action. Although he’s missed some time, the club is not concerned about any rust. Drawing comparisons from a different sport, it’s an acquisition of a former league All-Star reminiscent of when the Raiders acquired Marshawn Lynch from the Seahawks. Roots fans will remember the Quincy Amarikwa addition in 2021, but Amarikwa joined Oakland after an ineffective stint with Las Vegas Lights. The hope is Dwyer provides a much larger impact.
“He’s won at every level he’s played, we know his pedigree,” said a club source when asked about Dwyer’s time away from the game.
He’s yet to venture into The Town and is unlikely to be available for Saturday’s match against Colorado Springs, but sounds like he could be available as soon as the road match at San Antonio on May 4 given he begins training with the organization next week.
Following the recent match at Detroit, we talked about the center forward role after Etsgar Cruz entering the starting lineup raised some eyebrows. It was a situation that showed how wide-open the competition was at the position with Trayvone Reid and Miche-Naider Chéry unable to lock down the starting job.
Through seven games, Roots’ seven goals ranks eighth in the Western Conference while holding a -5 goal differential, including a previous three-game losing streak without a goal toward their 2-1-4 record. With the club deliberating over an additional move since the preseason ramp up, it became clear an addition was needed after Reid and Chéry couldn’t provide instant production. One source characterized that Dwyer’s addition does not reflect on Reid and Chéry given it’s been a move Roots have been working on for a while.
Dwyer, 33, is an 11-year veteran with a decade of experience in the MLS, including one-year with Orlando City when they were in USL Pro in 2013. He’s a Sporting KC legend from 2012-2017 with 128 appearances and 58 goals for the MLS side, winning two U.S. Open Cup titles and an MLS Cup Championship.
He spent 2017-2020 with Orlando City, scoring 24 goals and eight assists in 67 appearances and 54 starts. Toronto FC signed him in 2021-2022, recording one assist. Atlanta United signed him to a one-year deal in 2022.
Dwyer also has made four appearances with the United States National Team, scoring twice. He was a member of their 2017 Gold Cup title.
For his professional career, Dwyer has played 17,113 minutes in 244 appearances for 101 total goals and 17 assists.