American dream becomes a fairy tale for former King’s Lynn footballer

Footballer Dominic Dwyer’s American dream turned into a fairy tale on Saturday night.

The former King’s Lynn footballer took just 19 minutes to net on his international debut for the United States of America during a 2-1 friendly victory over Ghana.

It was a magical moment for the 26-year-old who opened the scoring with a delightful volley against the Black Stars.

After the game, Dwyer took to social media to reflect on his perfect start for the USA. “There’s nothing like your first goal,” he posted on both Instagram and Facebook. “It meant a lot to me.”

In his post-match press conference, USA team boss Bruce Arena said of Dwyer: “This is certainly a big opportunity for him.

“He became a US citizen in March and I know he was looking forward to it. You never know what happens in a game like this. The first 10 minutes or so he looked a little nervous out there, but he got a hold of the game and did well. I’m real pleased for him.”

The King’s Lynn-raised frontman was called up to the USA squad for the first time last month ahead of the CONCACAF Gold Cup which begins this weekend.

He failed to make the grade during an injury-hit spell with Norwich City’s academy as a youngster but burst onto the scene with the Linnets. He signed Conference forms with Lynn in 2008 before making his debut against Harrogate Town.

Dwyer netted two goals in 12 appearances (three starts) and followed it up by finding the back of the net 14 times in 28 starts for the reserves the following campaign.

In 2009, he crossed the Atlantic with a number of other of players and coaches from the King’s Lynn Community Football scheme to begin a scholarship with Tyler Junior College in Texas.

While he was at Tyler, Dwyer won two national championships and was the national junior college player of the year after notching 37 goals as a sophomore.

After two years at Tyler, he made the move to the University of South Florida, where he played in 2011.

After being loaned out to Orlando City in 2013, where he registered more than a goal a game, he has since risen to stardom in Major League Soccer with Sporting Kansas City.

The forward, who is married to US Women’s team forward and 2015 World Cup winner Sydney Leroux, received his US citizenship in March to qualify him for selection.