After years of steady progress, are the USA about to explode on to the scene at last and announce their arrival as a force to be reckoned with in international football?
The quality available to Gregg Berhalter speaks for itself.
Ahead of the March international break, the USMNT coach put together a squad chock-full of exciting young talent, some of them plying their trade at Europe’s biggest clubs.
Zack Steffen has made a first-team breakthrough at Manchester City in recent months.
Weston McKennie and Sergino Dest have shone during their debut campaigns at Juventus and Barcelona respectively, while there are also players in Berhalter’s 23-man squad contracted to Roma, Bayern Munich, Valencia, Wolves, Dortmund and Chelsea.
And, in Barnsley loanee Daryl Dike, the USA appear to have found a ruthless number nine at long last. The 20-year-old powerhouse has taken English football by storm since moving to Yorkshire in January, scoring five times in 11 Championship matches.
His supreme physical gifts and thunderbolt shot have also led to comparisons with Inter Milan superstar Romelu Lukaku (Yorkshire Post).
And, according to Eurosport, Dike may be offered an opportunity to follow in Lukaku’s footsteps if he continues to shine at Oakwell. Everton are watching closely, with the youngster’s parent club, Orlando City, open to offers in the region of £15 million.
With the World Cup only a year away, the prospect of Dike taking his game to the next level in the Premier League, under the legendary Carlo Ancelotti no less, certainly seems to have got the backing of the American public.
Here’s what some USA fans had to say on Twitter about Dike’s situation:
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