“We want Dom! We want Dom!” The chant echoed throughout Orlando City Stadium in the second half of Saturday’s match as Lions forward Dom Dwyer warmed up on the sidelines. The anticipation from the raucous crowd built and built until the 63rd minute, when Dwyer took the field for the first time at Orlando’s new stadium.
"It's very special,” Dwyer said after the match, “It was everything I expected and more. There was a lot of noise, very exciting and it was a great atmosphere. It was an exciting experience. It brings me more excitement being at this club and I’m just looking forward to more games."
The return of Dwyer to the lineup late in the match, changed the complexity of the game. The Lions pushed forward, boosted by the energy of the crowd behind them and the attacking presence of the substitution of Dwyer into the match, to try and find the back of the net.
Within 10 seconds of stepping foot on the pitch, Dwyer was already in the thick of it, battling for a header in the box that was flicked over the crossbar.
“I thought he brought some fantastic energy tonight, took two really good strikes that the goalkeeper made good saves on,” Head Coach Jason Kreis said of his striker, “You can see when he brings that kind of energy that it can really help our group.”
Dwyer finished the match with three shots, two of them on target, both of which forced tough saves from Columbus keeper Zack Steffen.
Though he was unable to find the back of the net for his first goal in purple, Dwyer is still set to continue working towards that first tally and three points against Vancouver on Saturday.
“Obviously, we are going to keep fighting. That's all there is to do for us. We need points now, and we need results. I think, mathematically, we are still in it. We will keep working."
