Daryl Dike will celebrate his next goal for West Bromwich Albion. (Photo courtesy of MLS)

ORLANDO, Fla.- Daryl Dike’s next challenge will be in England – permanently.

Orlando City SC announced Saturday that it had completed a transfer of the U.S. men’s national team forward to West Bromwich Albion Football Club of the English Championship.

Per club policy, terms of the transfer will not be disclosed.

Dike played on loan for Barnsley (English Championship) at the beginning of 2021, scoring nine times in 19 appearances. He also has eight caps with the U.S. men’s national team, scoring three times.

“We would like to thank Daryl for all he has given to Orlando City throughout his time here,” Orlando City EVP of Soccer Operations Luiz Muzzi said in a statement. “From the moment we drafted him, we knew Daryl was a special talent, and this opportunity is a credit to both his natural talent and his dedication over the last two years. We are happy that he was able to develop here in Orlando and grow into the player he is today. While we know he will go on to do tremendous things in his career, it’s an honor to say that Daryl got his start here in Orlando, that we played a strong role in helping him get to this new challenge. We wish Daryl nothing but the best in this next chapter.”

Dike, 22, departs the team after two seasons after being selected fifth overall at the 2020 MLS SuperDraft. He scored 19 goals and added seven assists across all competitions for the Lions. The University of Virginia product led the Lions to consecutive berths in the MLS Cup Playoffs, scoring in the side’s last five matches this season en route to clinching its second-consecutive postseason berth. Dike finished the year as the Lions’ leading goalscorer, totaling 11 in all competitions.

“I am extremely grateful to everyone at Orlando City for believing in me and for giving me the opportunity to play for this incredible club,” Dike said in a statement. “This was a great place for me to start my career and I am thankful to the Club for helping me toward this next step of my journey. I will always cherish my time here with my teammates, coaches, and staff, but I’ll especially miss the fans and the incredible atmosphere they create for each home game.”

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.