Dom Dwyer: “It was actually very special. It was cool to see a lot of people from different countries coming into the U.S..” (Jennifer Buchanan/USA TODAY Sports)
Without playing a game, the U.S. national team scored a major victory Thursday.
Dom Dwyer became a United State citizen.
The lethal Sporting Kansas City striker took an oath of allegiance in a naturalization ceremony at Charles Evans Whittaker Courthouse in Kansas City, Mo.
“It was actually very special. It was cool to see a lot of people from different countries coming into the U.S.,” Dwyer told reporters. “They really appreciate the opportunity, as do I.”
Dwyer, who had a green card since 2012, has accrued 52 goals in 115 appearances during his six-year career with Kansas City, making him the second leading goal-scorer in club history.
“Just gotta get myself in form and hope the phone rings,” Dwyer told the Kansas City Star. “It would be quite amazing. To give something back to the country that’s given so much to me is really my goal.”
The 26-year-old Dwyer, who was born in Cuckfield, England, hasn’t found the net yet for Sporting in two Major League Soccer matches this season. But his track record has been quite impressive. Coming off 16-goal season in 2016, Dwyer’s best year was in 2014 when he tallied 22 times.
Dwyer was just happy to get over the hurdle.
“I am extremely happy to have completed the process of becoming a U.S. citizen,” he said in a press release. “This country has given me a lot over the past eight years, and I look forward to giving back as much as possible. I want to thank everyone who has supported me on this journey, most importantly my family and my club. This was a very meaningful day for me, and I’m excited to start the next chapter of my life as a U.S. citizen.”
Dwyer moved to the United States in 2009, when he attended Tyler Junior College in Texas. He has lived in the country since.
He is married to U.S. women’s national team and FC Kansas City forward Sydney Leroux (National Women’s Soccer League), who holds dual citizenship in the United States and Canada.
