Orlando City SC announced a key signing, bringing back a productive player, as the MLS club prepares to kick off the second part of its season following the World Cup break.
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Daryl Dike has been added to the Lions’ roster, the club announced. The forward, 26, returns to his first professional club after five seasons with West Bromwich Albion FC in England’s EFL Championship. The Edmond, Oklahoma, native has totaled 43 goals and nine assists across 138 professional appearances.
It’s the latest attempt to boost Orlando City’s lineup, though not as high a profile transaction as the signing of French star Antoine Griezmann, who is expected to upgrade the Lions’ attack. Orlando City returns to MLS action Wednesday at the San Jose Earthquakes at 10:30 p.m., then plays its first post-break home match Saturday against Nashville SC at 7:30 p.m.
Orlando is 4-9-2 and 14 points in the MLS Eastern Conference. The club faces two tests right away. San Jose is second in the Western Conference (10-3-2, 32 points). Nashville is atop the East with 36 points (11-1-3) and demolished Orlando City 5-0 on March 21.
Dike was the Lions’ first pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft, the No. 5 selection. His contract with Orlando City is through the 2027 MLS Sprint Season, with a club option for 2027-28. MLS is switching to a summer-to-spring schedule in 2027. MLS sides, though, will play a 14-match season from February to May of 2027 — a sprint — in order to transition from its longtime calendar and align its season with the world’s top leagues.
The Lions also sent $75,000 in 2027 General Allocation Money (GAM) to Seattle Sounders FC in exchange for Dike’s Discovery Priority. The Discovery Priority rules mean a MLS team has the first chance to negotiate with and sign a non-league player. Seattle will receive an additional $75,000 GAM if certain performance-based metrics are met.
“Daryl is a player our club and our fans know well, and we’re very excited to welcome him back to Orlando,” Ricardo Moreira, Orlando City’s general manager and sporting director, said in a press release.
“He brings a powerful combination of strength, speed and physical presence, and his ability to hold up play, bring teammates into the attack and finish chances gives us another important option up front.”
During his first go-round in Orlando, the 6-foot-2- Dike made 33 starts in 41 appearances across all competitions. He scored 19 goals and added seven assists, including a team-leading 11 goals across all competitions during the 2021 campaign.
“I’m thrilled to be back where it all started,” said Dike. “Orlando is where I first got the opportunity to play professionally, and returning here feels like coming home. From the moment I arrived the first time, I felt welcomed, and that same feeling has only grown since I’ve come back. Everyone has been incredibly supportive, and I’m grateful to be back in Orlando.”
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At the international level, Dike has made 10 appearances for the U.S. Men’s National Team, scoring three goals and helping the U.S. claim the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Lions sign homegrown GK Tristan Himes to first-team contract
The Lions signed Orlando City B and academy product Tristan Himes to a first-team contract as a homegrown player through the 2027 MLS Sprint Season, with club options for 2027-28 and 2028-29. With the deal, Himes becomes the 17th academy product to advance through the club’s full development pathway.
Himes, 22, signed his first professional contract with Orlando City B ahead of the 2025 MLS NEXT Pro season and made his debut July 25, 2025, against Huntsville City FC, recording his first professional save in the match. Across 11 appearances with the MLS NEXT Pro side, the 6-foot-6- Himes totaled 34 saves with the young Lions, earning points in nine of those matches.
A native of DeBary in southwest Volusia County, Himes attended Circle Christian School in Winter Springs. He played collegiately at South Carolina and Coastal Carolina. Across his NCAA career, he appeared in 23 matches, totaling 57 saves and three clean sheets.
Orlando City adds homegrown defender Clovis Archange to first team
Orlando City SC has signed defender Clovis Archange to a first-team contract as a homegrown player through the 2027 calendar year with club options for the 2028 and 2029 calendar years, the club announced.
Archange, 17, has made six appearances across all competitions for Orlando City B in MLS NEXT Pro, including four appearances and one start in 2026 following his recovery from a knee injury sustained in 2025.
The 5-foot-11 defender anchored the Orlando City U18 team that won the 2025 Generation adidas Cup. The annual tournament featured 80 teams from MLS academies and international clubs hailing from four continents. Archange was named to the 2025 Generation adidas Cup Rising XI prior to the start of the tournament.
On the international stage, Archange, who was born in Cameroon and raised in Montreal, made four appearances for Canada’s U17 National Team. He debuted in an international friendly in November 2024 and started three matches at the 2025 CONCACAF U17 Championship. He was also recently called up to Canada’s U20 squad for the 2026 Tournoi Maurice Revello in France, where he made three appearances.
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