We need to talk ...

[HuffyCane]

We need to talk about a certain striker. The hottest name in MLS right now.

Quincy and I and others constantly complain about the USMNT being held hostage to MLS rosters and the delusional hype train used to pump them up, get them capped, then sell them for inflated value to Europe. This is rarely justified.

However, I present to you below, the hottest striker in MLS. He’s already getting compared to a young Drogba. Young, big, fast, can play in the air, back and front to goal, and has a poachers knack. And he’s only 20. As LEC would say, he’s a bad mutha.

Normally, I would cough, roll my eyes, and talk about Eddie Johnson, CJ Sapong, Teal Bunbury and loads of other guys that looked the part,had early success, then faded.

But this guy is different.

This guy is from Oklahoma.

Do we make an exception for an Okie?

Do we wait and risk that he plays for his family’s ancestral home of Nigeria, like his brother and sister did? His cousin is a Super Eagle now. Can we wait?

Good to see Charlie Davies is doing well and likes him.

Daryl Dike's superb rookie season with Orlando City SC | Goal Driven pres. by Audi

Selected fifth overall in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft, Daryl Dike is enjoying a superb rookie season for Orlando City SC. MLSsoccer.com's Charlie Davies breaks down what makes the striker so impressive and why he's only going to get better.

www.mlssoccer.com

 

[HuffyCane]

Skip ahead to 5:30

 

[Li'l Eric Coley]

Wow. Never heard of the guy, but I don't watch a whole lot of soccer anyway. He's a specimen. Seriously, we need more bodies that are built like that on the USMNT. I had the volume down when I watched the highlights, so where in OK did he play?

 

[HuffyCane]

Born in Edmond. Oklahoma FC for youth. Blew up the ACC for two years st UVA with a goal every other game. Effed around with Energy’s U23. MLS SuperDraft. Orlando City. And effing EPL next if he keeps developing how he handles that body. He’s Kei Kamara who can actually see the field and beat you off the dribble.

 

[quincy101]

Orlando City is my fav team in MLS & I knew of this kid but not as an Okie. The MNT can always use some fresh meat that actually scores when it counts (unlike Altidore,Zardes, et al). Want another 20 yr-old who can ripple the old onion bag? Ck out Sebastian Soto who led us to Q-Finals of U-20 WC. He's waiting on a work permit for England & Norwich City. Problem is, he is eligible to play for Chile & the US. Beer?halter better jump all over both of these kids.

 

[HuffyCane]

Orlando City is my fav team in MLS & knew of this kid. The MNT can always use some fresh meat that actually scores (unlike Altidore,Zardes, et al). Want another 20 yr-old who can ripple the old onion bag? Ck out Sebastian Soto who led us to Q-Finals of U-20 WC. He's waiting on a work permit for England & Norwich City. Problem is, he is eligible to play for Chile & the US. Beer?halter better jump all over both of these kids.

He’s on the roster for Wales. Given the injuries, I predict he will start up top.

 

[quincy101]

Huffy, you lost me with the Wales reference. Who were you referring to?

 

[HuffyCane]

The US will play Wales on Nov 12. Soto is on the roster. Pulisic is on the roster but hurt. Sargent is on the roster but in a relegation fight. Expect Soto to start or come on after 30 minutes for Sargent.

 

[Li'l Eric Coley]

I wish his last name was Pike instead of Dike, so I could make a Chris Pike reference. He gets forgotten in TU football lore, but Pike might be the best defensive lineman in TU history.

 

[quincy101]

Biggest man I'd ever seen to that point. Something like 6'8" & 280. I remember him breaking his leg in the south end-zone, vs Tx Tech (i think) It was a very ugly break. And didn't he have a brief pro career?

 

[TU_BLA]

We need to talk about a certain striker. The hottest name in MLS right now.

Quincy and I and others constantly complain about the USMNT being held hostage to MLS rosters and the delusional hype train used to pump them up, get them capped, then sell them for inflated value to Europe. This is rarely justified.

However, I present to you below, the hottest striker in MLS. He’s already getting compared to a young Drogba. Young, big, fast, can play in the air, back and front to goal, and has a poachers knack. And he’s only 20. As LEC would say, he’s a bad mutha.

Normally, I would cough, roll my eyes, and talk about Eddie Johnson, CJ Sapong, Teal Bunbury and loads of other guys that looked the part,had early success, then faded.

But this guy is different.

This guy is from Oklahoma.

Do we make an exception for an Okie?

Do we wait and risk that he plays for his family’s ancestral home of Nigeria, like his brother and sister did? His cousin is a Super Eagle now. Can we wait?

Good to see Charlie Davies is doing well and likes him.

Daryl Dike's superb rookie season with Orlando City SC | Goal Driven pres. by Audi

Selected fifth overall in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft, Daryl Dike is enjoying a superb rookie season for Orlando City SC. MLSsoccer.com's Charlie Davies breaks down what makes the striker so impressive and why he's only going to get better.

www.mlssoccer.com

Dike is a F*CKING MONSTER. He's Altidore with speed and touch. I got to seem him play in the state semifinals against Union 3 (?) years ago when he was a senior. He was Edmond North's team. Union's coach bracketed him with 2 man defenders at all times. He had ZERO room to operate. Edmond North rarely possessed the ball in Union's end that game as their normal strategy was always to try to get the ball to him over the top and him just outmuscling and out running a single defender. That game went to a shootout, 0-0 in regulation and through the OT period. Union had several really good chances to score and win but Edmond North played 9 behind the ball at all times as Union had 4-5 kids with D1 skill in the attack and MF and were very creative. Unions GK got the best of Dike in the shootout deking him to the left and getting Dike to shoot to Dike's right. Dike didn't open the hips enough and the GK made an easy save. (Union won the shootout 4-1). My son models his PK strategy after the Union GKs. It works most of the time.

Dike is a beast. And maybe this crew of players called up are mostly the Europe based ones. I liked watching Dike come on as a sub during the MLS is Back tournament. Teams frequently struggled to keep up with him as he brought a renewed burst and he simply cannot be knocked off the ball easily. He also makes some great creative runs (a la Bobby Wood). Here's the problem...with Dike on the roster, there would be no need for Jordan Morris. They play the same position and in similar styles. Morris is well-liked by the USMNT coaches but IMO Dike is a better all around player and has a higher ceiling than Morris does.

 

[Li'l Eric Coley]

Biggest man I'd ever seen to that point. Something like 6'8" & 280. I remember him breaking his leg in the south end-zone, vs Tx Tech (i think) It was a very ugly break. And didn't he have a brief pro career?

Pike killed it with the Browns for a few years. His body-type was ahead of his time in the early 90s. 6-8 and probably 295 if I had to guess.

 

[HuffyCane]

He was absurd. I remember one summer watching him and Donald Royster have a contest to see who could lift these enormous armoires they were moving out of John Mabee with 3 men and a dolly. Don and Pike each picked one up off the truck and walked 60 to 70 feet with them. They were practically the size of a VW and made of very heavy wood. They had to be 300lbs and very awkward to handle. Some serious Hulk business. Pike won by a few steps.

 

[Li'l Eric Coley]

Royster doesn’t get enough credit either.

 

[HuffyCane]

Royster doesn’t get enough credit either.

It wasn’t until a few years ago that he lost his place in a couple of the TU records. Like field goal percentage iirc.

 

[HuffyCane]

We need to talk about a certain striker. The hottest name in MLS right now.

Quincy and I and others constantly complain about the USMNT being held hostage to MLS rosters and the delusional hype train used to pump them up, get them capped, then sell them for inflated value to Europe. This is rarely justified.

However, I present to you below, the hottest striker in MLS. He’s already getting compared to a young Drogba. Young, big, fast, can play in the air, back and front to goal, and has a poachers knack. And he’s only 20. As LEC would say, he’s a bad mutha.

Normally, I would cough, roll my eyes, and talk about Eddie Johnson, CJ Sapong, Teal Bunbury and loads of other guys that looked the part,had early success, then faded.

But this guy is different.

This guy is from Oklahoma.

Do we make an exception for an Okie?

Do we wait and risk that he plays for his family’s ancestral home of Nigeria, like his brother and sister did? His cousin is a Super Eagle now. Can we wait?

Good to see Charlie Davies is doing well and likes him.

Daryl Dike's superb rookie season with Orlando City SC | Goal Driven pres. by Audi

Selected fifth overall in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft, Daryl Dike is enjoying a superb rookie season for Orlando City SC. MLSsoccer.com's Charlie Davies breaks down what makes the striker so impressive and why he's only going to get better.

www.mlssoccer.com

https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-...is-fine-form-continuesit-will-only-get-bigger

 

[quincy101]

I would expect Dike to get up to 90 mins vs NoIre on Sunday. CP too, since he was subbed out by prior arrangement at half-time today.

 

[HuffyCane]

current rumor is Everton have offered $22 million.

 

[quincy101]

True worth of Daryl Dike becomes clearer with each bump up in the $ offered. BTW, something bizarre happened this morning during West Ham vs Chelsea. CP starts & scores about 5 minutes in. Chelsea is on cruise control until Silva is sent off with 2 yellows about 29th minute. West Ham scores twice in 1st half stoppage time. The weird part is that CP jogs out onto the field to start 2nd half. Does an immediate 180 & jogs off the field & apparently tells Tommy Tuchel he's pulled another hammie. What the bleep? Just unbelieveable.