The Athletic reported that Frankie Amaya wants out of FC Cincinnati. His quote: “During this offseason I’ve realized that the club doesn’t have the same level of commitment to me, so I have asked the club to trade me as I don’t feel my goals can be achieved in Cincinnati.” Comments by fans on various platforms speculating.... - He is homesick and wants to go home. - He was tired of losing. - He wants to play the 10 and with FCC chasing Pity and Acosta he'll never get the opportunity. - He doesn't want to be part of a rebuild. - and the speculation goes on...... He is 20 years old with 2 seasons of experience. He is not in a position to demand a trade. He is under contract and should honor it. He needs to pay his dues and prove himself. He has scored one goal in 2 seasons and has 0 assists. I give him credit. He hustles and works hard but his play has not put him in a position to demand anything. If anything I believe this would make teams think twice. The going gets tough after 2 seasons and he is whining about it. And if its really about playing the 10, on what MLS team would he be the starting 10? I'd say on none of them. Especially not on either LA team where he is from. If I'm Gerard Nijkamp, I'm holding on to him this season. He is on a Generation Adidas contract and does not take an international roster spot. That is a huge benefit against the salary cap. The team just signed Brenner and is looking at adding quite a few other upgrades. His play should appear better with better players around him and his value will go up. If he's still unhappy at the end of 2021, trade him or transfer him for the best offer out there. Until then, suck it up Amaya. The price of being the number 1 draft pick is enduring your time on the last place team! Frankie Amaya, the 2019 No. 1 overall draft pick, confirms to The Athletic in a statement that he formally put in a trade request with FC Cincinnati.#FCCincy says again that it will not trade him.https://t.co/GthqXaOJb6 pic.twitter.com/j5gcE5RPXj— Paul Tenorio (@PaulTenorio) February 11, 2021
I'm hoping that he was demanding the trade before the Brenner signing, not after. my guess is someone is using it to put pressure on FCC to trade him to avoid controversy. Won't work here, this city was home to Marge Schott and Pete Rose... controversy is part of the gubernatorial climate. The local gangs even have shoot outs over which chili parlor is the best.
Not a peep out of Amaya or his agent since the Athletic article. He was not offered a spot on the US Olympic qualifying roster. Maybe this brought him back to reality. He is now in camp but there have been no interviews with him that I've read or heard. Wondering if there is any awkwardness around his teammates.