Dom Dwyer is now a U.S. citizen

UPDATE: It’s now official. Dom Dwyer is a U.S. Citizen

Today at MLS Media Day, Sporting Kansas City talisman Dom Dwyer let loose an interesting piece of news. He told reporters that he’ll be eligible to apply for his U.S. citizenship in February and has everything ready to go to get that process going as quickly as possible.

He also says that he’s been in contact with U.S. Soccer and they are already working with FIFA to get him eligible for the national team as soon as his citizenship is officially approved.

It seems like Bruce Arena is very close to having another goalscorer available for selection. The question now becomes, is Dwyer worthy of USMNT consideration?

There’s no doubt that he’s a proven goalscorer in MLS as his 50 combined goals in the last three seasons proves. But that doesn’t necessarily shoot him past some of the other names already on the depth chart.

It surely doesn’t put him over Jozy Altidore or a healthy (hopefully) Clint Dempsey. Nor does it put him over Bobby Wood. The next tier of strikers is where you could see him cause havoc. The Jordan Morris and Gyasi Zardes tier. The guys who are usually on the roster but are an injury away from the starting lineup.

Dwyer is a different type of forward. He’s a player who will walk the offside line and try to get behind opposing back lines. His pace and shiftiness is a pain to deal with for any who try to defend him. But that’s at the MLS level. It remains to be seen if he can carry over that effectiveness to the international level. If he can replicate what he does for SKC, he’s surely a fine option for the USMNT and Arena to consider, but that’s not guaranteed.

This year’s Gold Cup seems like the perfect opportunity to give him that chance to prove what he can do at a competitive international level. Mexico will be concentrated on the Confederations Cup and the tournament will be the USMNT’s for the taking. Giving a few fringe guys a chance to prove their worth should present itself at some point in the competition.

Is Dom Dwyer worth USMNT consideration? Yes. Is he going to walk into the team from day one? Absolutely not. But he should be given the chance to show his talent and see if he can be a difference maker when he is eligible to do so.