With Luiz Araujo out for at least the next four weeks, starting with Atlanta United’s Saturday game at snowy Colorado, Dom Dwyer has shown manager Gonzalo Pineda that he is among the candidates who can fill in at right wing.
Dwyer produced a well-taken goal from an assist by Josef Martinez to give Atlanta United a 2-0 lead in what would become a 3-1 victory against Sporting KC on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It was Dwyer’s first goal since September 2019.
It had to be a bit surreal for Dwyer, who played for Sporting KC from 2012 to ’17 before he was traded to Orlando, considered one of Atlanta United’s rivals. Things didn’t work out well for him in Orlando. He went to Toronto and then signed with the Five Stripes as a free agent.
“It’s always nice to score on your first game for a new club, against your old team is bittersweet but that’s my first goal in a couple of years, so I’m really happy to be part of this score and overall the team performance,” he said.
Dwyer was signed as the presumed backup to Martinez at striker.
When he came on for Araujo, who sustained a hamstring injury, in the 26th minute that was presumed to be because the team was missing many players because of injuries or absences to work on visas and green cards.
“We have a lot of talented players so I just knew that there might be an opportunity to play, and we just got to be ready,” Dwyer said. “Like I said, we have a really good squad.”
Dwyer made an immediate impact and showed the skills that made him one of the league’s best strikers while he was with Sporting KC, where he scored 57 goals.
Recognizing the space in front of him, Dwyer made a run down the right to catch up to a perfect pass from Martinez. Dwyer beat the only defender in front of him with a nice cut back to his left, which set him up to slam a left-footed shot to the near post.
The sequence was quick and ruthless.
“We have a lot of talented players so I just knew that there might be an opportunity to play, and we just got to be ready. Like I said, we have a really good squad."
“Yeah, we were putting them under a lot of pressure,” he said. “And, you know, the first goal was solid, and we were looking good. And then we got the injury, and it kind of set us back a few minutes. But I feel like we had the momentum, and then, obviously, to get a goal before the start of the second half, you know we just go into it with a little bit of a smile on our faces. The momentum shifts, and we know that one more goal would probably kill off the game.”
Dwyer finished the game leading the team in shots (three), tied for shots on target (one) and finished second in crosses attempted (two).
When speaking Sunday, Pineda didn’t want to commit to saying who would start in place of Araujo, if he can’t go, against Colorado. He said he plans for each game differently. He mentioned Dwyer as a possibility, along with Brooks Lennon. The team could also play Tyler Wolff or Marcelino Moreno on the right wing, or Thiago Almada, if he returns in time from Argentina, where he is attempting to secure a visa.
Don’t expect to see Dwyer playing beside Martinez in a two-striker system, though. Pineda said playing two strikers against a defense playing two centerbacks results in numerical disadvantages in other parts of the pitch.
“But some version of that I can see working – where maybe, you know, Dom Dwyer runs around Josef, and Josef just picked the right passes in between the lines or the opposite if they alternate, but not because you see Dom and Josef on the field is because we’re playing two forwards,” Pineda said. “Dom can also play a bit on the side, on the flank as we just saw (Sunday).”
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Atlanta United’s 2022 MLS schedule
Feb. 27 Atlanta United 3, Sporting KC 1
March 5 at Colorado, 6 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
March 13 vs. Charlotte, 4:30 p.m., FS1
March 19 vs. Montreal, 4 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
April 2 at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
April 10 at Charlotte, 1:30 p.m., ABC, ESPN Deportes
April 16 vs. Cincinnati, 6 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
April 24 at Miami, 1 p.m., ESPN
April 30 at Montreal, 4 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
May 7 vs. Chicago, 6 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
May 15 vs. New England, 2 p.m., ESPN
May 21 at Nashville, 7:30 p.m. FOX
May 28 vs. Columbus Crew, 7 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
June 19 vs. Miami, 4 p.m., ESPN2
June 25 at Toronto, 7:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
June 30 at New York Red Bulls, 8 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
July 3 at NYCFC, 5 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
July 9 vs. Austin, 7 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
July 13 vs. Real Salt Lake, 7:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
July 17 vs. Orlando, 3 p.m., ABC
July 24 at L.A. Galaxy, 9:30 p.m., FS1
July 30 at Chicago, 5 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
Aug. 6 vs. Seattle, 3 p.m., ABC
Aug. 13 at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m. BSSO/BSSE
Aug. 17 vs. New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
Aug. 21 at Columbus, 6 p.m., FS1
Aug. 28 vs. D.C. United, 4 p.m., UNIV
Aug. 31 at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 4 at Portland, 5:30 p.m., FOX
Sept. 10 vs. Toronto, 7:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
Sept. 14 at Orlando, 6 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
Sept. 17 vs. Philadelphia, 3:30 p.m., UniMas
Oct. 1 at New England, 1 p.m., UniMas
Oct. 9 vs. NYCFC, TBD, BSSO/BSSE
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