Dom Dwyer may be living out the very definition of the American Dream but there's a part of him which will always pull for home.

Dwyer is an Englishman who was born and bred in West Sussex, released by Norwich as a teenager, had his career threatened by injury before it had even begun and was left to battle away in non-League.

But battle he did. Now, a decade on, the 27-year-old forward is a full United States international, has a young son with his Olympic champion and World Cup-winning footballer wife, has been a guest at the White House and recently became the record signing by an MLS team.

Dom Dwyer's career has taken him from English non-League to the USA national team

Dwyer recently broke the MLS transfer record by moving from Kansas City to Orlando

He was born in England to English parents but now has an American passport

Dwyer is married to another professional player, United States international Sydney Leroux

He's a genuine soccer superstar in the United States, with his recent blockbuster move to Orlando City further cementing that status, but he could perhaps walk the streets of London and barely be recognised. You get the impression that suits Dwyer just fine.

What's clear is that he is thankful for every moment of a life he could barely have imagined when released by the Canaries in 2006, as he maintained belief through troubling ankle injuries which he was told could have ended his career, and spells in non-League with Staines and King's Lynn.

The decision to attend a trial in front of US college scouts at QPR's training ground in 2009 would ultimately change his life forever, setting a young man with no prior links to the United States on the path to adulation and acceptance across the pond. He ticks every box when it comes to the American Dream's principals of upward mobility and opportunity for those arriving from abroad. He could not be more grateful.

Things could have been very different had he not been released by Norwich as a youngster

‹ Slide me › Then and now: Dwyer in his Norwich kit as a youngster (left) and after signing for Orlando

After starring at college in Florida, Dwyer was drafted into the MLS by Kansas City in 2012

DWYER'S CAREER 2000–06: Norwich City 2007–08: Staines Town 2008–09: King's Lynn 2009–10: Tyler Junior College 2011: University of South Florida Bulls 2012–17: Sporting Kansas City 2013: Orlando City 2017-present: Orlando City United States: 3 caps/2 goals Advertisement

'It's all been so mad, that's the best way to put it, but I feel so lucky to be in this position,' he told Sportsmail, still retaining his British accent despite his eight years in the States.

'It comes with a bit of pressure and the eyes are obviously on you a fair bit after joining a new club, but it's all been very exciting. It's come from working hard but it's crazy how it's all happened.

'I've been working for so many years and there was a point where I realised playing for the States was something which offered a very real opportunity to me. It would be a dream for so many people and it was for me, too.

'When I left Norwich I didn't really know what would happen. There was a lot of uncertainty but there are so many kids in England who go through the same thing when they are released. People slip through and I didn't want to be one of those, I wanted to be the one who made something of themselves.

'I played in non-League and that gave me a very humble beginning, but it's something to work forward from. I worked a lot with young children in schools, did some coaching and a few other things while I was in non-League, working with the future, but I was trying to find a way through.

It was here his career really began as he became one of the biggest stars in the MLS

It's an unlikely story, given he was released by Norwich City as a young player

'I honestly always thought I would make it in football. I certainly didn't think it would be in the States, the plan was always to do that in England, but I'm here, playing and it's been amazing. I feel so lucky, but now's the time to push on and show what I can really do.'

His American dream began with a scholarship at Tyler Junior College, continued at the University of South Florida, stepped up a gear when he was drafted by MLS side Sporting Kansas City, where he became a champion welcomed to the White House by President Obama, and eventually broke records with his trade to Orlando in July.

While modest when compared to the hundreds of millions being thrown around in Europe, Dwyer's was a deal which could end up being worth £1.25million in a league which usually deals exclusively in trades.

He received his green card in 2012 before becoming eligible for citizenship earlier this year, which meant a much-discussed national team call-up became reality.

He became a champion in 2013 as he helped Kansas City secure the MLS Cup

The man who grew up dreaming of playing for England made his United States debut in July against Ghana, scoring after just 19 minutes and celebrating with a backflip. He was then named in his adopted nation's Gold Cup squad - another proud moment for a man so thankful for all the States has given him.

'I'm English, of course I am, because I was born there and my family's from there, but I have such strong roots in the US too,' he said.

'It's been my home now for almost 10 years and it's been an absolute honour for me to play for their country. It feels like my country as well. I'd say I'm English and American.

'I will never forget where I came from, I'm really proud of that, but at the same time I'm very proud to be in the US.'

Leroux picked out Dwyer in the stands after USA's World Cup victory in Canada in 2015

Leroux, left, was born in Canada but has 77 caps for the United States women's team

The couple welcomed their young son, Cassius, into the world late last year

His ties to the States grew even deeper in 2015 when he married partner Sydney Leroux, herself a highly-decorated 77-cap veteran of the US women's team, with the couple welcoming son Cassius late in 2016.

Such is the profile of the women's game in the States, his marriage to Leroux catapulted Dwyer further into the public eye than MLS players would usually enjoy, helped by their friendship with NBA legend Kobe Bryant, but the forward maintains he and his wife enjoy a 'normal' relationship. That relationship was made a little more difficult, though, by the trade to Orlando, given the fact Leroux remains in Kansas City where she plays professionally.

'That's football sometimes, there's always movement,' Dwyer said. 'There's always a chance that could happen so you have to go with it. It is what it is and I'm very happy to be playing at a great club in Orlando.

'Playing with someone like Kaka at Orlando is incredible, it's always a dream to see that kind of player on the field with you. I've played against some very cool players in the All-Star game too which has given me some great memories.

'Sydney and I will figure everything out in the future I'm sure, but aside from being at different clubs in different cities our lives are very normal. It's a normal marriage and we have a normal relationship.

Dwyer, pictured playing for the MLS All-Stars against Real Madrid in Chicago in 2017

'We talk about football a fair bit but we try and be sensitive with each other around game time. You have to try and tread lightly there, anyone knows with their missus that you have to keep them happy.'

And what of the future? Does the boyhood Liverpool fan still dream of one day playing in the Premier League and proving his ability at home? With just one year remaining on his contract in the MLS, he's certainly open to the idea.

'The dream was always to play in the Premier League and that would be a situation that would be difficult to turn down if it were to come,' he said. 'Right now I'm focusing on things here and we'll have to see what the future holds.

'I have one more year left on my contract and we'll see from there. You never know in football.'

Dwyer's career is certainly testament to that.