Dwyer has chance to join rare company

Sporting Kansas City and new U.S. Men’s National Team forward Dom Dwyer has joined a pretty exclusive club. Dwyer has been one of the most consistent goal scorers the last few years in MLS and after becoming a U.S. citizen this year earned a spot on the roster for the 2017 Gold Cup.

Just suiting up for the U.S. in a game put Dwyer in elite company. Less than 750 men have represented the United States in a match since 1916 and on July 1^st Dwyer joined that group. A few days later, Dwyer earned his second cap and jumped a couple hundred spots up over all the players that only made one appearance.

Dwyer joined an even more exclusive club though. In the 19^th minute of his first match, Dwyer made the most of his opportunity and volleyed a shot home for his first international goal.

With that goal, Dwyer became the 48th player to have scored in his debut with the U.S. Men’s National Team.

When Dwyer scored on Panama in his second match he became just the tenth player to score a goal in each of his first two games.

Paul Arriola, Dwyer’s team mate at the Gold Cup was the last player to accomplish that rare start when he scored in May of 2016 at Puerto Rico and September of that year versus Trinidad and Tobago.

Eddie Johnson accomplished it in 2004 and Dante Washington in 1991 and then all the way back to 1937 when both Alexander Rae and John McEwan managed it.

More than two games in a row?

Could Dwyer keep the streak going and join an even rarer group? He is obviously riding a wave of confidence and is one of only three forwards on the U.S. roster at the moment so he should see some time in at least one of the next two games if not both.

The U.S. faces Martinique next, a team that is mostly made up of players that play in the local Martinique league but they did knock off Nicaragua 2-0. Martinique is considered to be part of France and thus they are not recognized by FIFA but can play in CONCACAF events. The U.S. has faced Martinique only once before, a 2-0 victory with a pair of goals by Brian McBride in 2003.

Nicaragua is ranked 105^th in the world and Martinique is unranked. With the next two opponents not being the strongest of competition that should increase the chances of Dwyer extending his streak.

Really rare company

If Dwyer scores in his next match, he would truly be in a rare group. Only two players have scored in their first three matches and only one of them made it four in a row. Alexander Rae scored in three matches against Mexico in 1937 (all defeats). Former Kansas City Wizard Eddie Johnson has the longest streak with six goals spread across his first four games for the Yanks.

While Johnson would go on to earn 63 caps for the U.S. and score 19 goals, those three games for Rae in 1937 were all he would play for his country. The U.S. did not play any more matches for ten years preventing Rae from continuing his goal streak.

Does Dom Dwyer have it in him to continue the goal streak and become a big part of U.S. National Team history?