Could Frankie Amaya be on the move from FC Cincinnati?
According to a statement given from the club on Thursday, FC Cincinnati have no interest in trading the 2019 No. 1 overall MLS SuperDraft pick despite a trade request from the midfielder that was first reported by The Athletic on Thursday. FC Cincinnati issued the statement to The Athletic in response to the report from Paul Tenorio and Jeff Reuter.
In the statement, FC Cincinnati confirmed that Amaya had made the request, but said that they still consider him an integral part of the club's rebuilding project which has seen them attempt to bolster their roster, most notably with the acquisition of highly touted 21-year-old Brazilian striker Brenner as a Young Designated Player.
“Earlier this offseason, Frankie expressed his frustration with losing and asked if we would trade him," FC Cincinnati's statement read. "We made clear that from our ownership, to our staff, to our fans, we are all disappointed that our first two seasons in MLS proved to be very challenging. We shared our plans to ambitiously add to our roster to return to the level of success that we experienced before joining MLS. We believe Frankie is a key part of how we will continue to grow on the pitch and therefore are not looking to trade him. Since the request, we have made a few key additions – led by Brenner – with more to come, as we remain committed to move on from our first two difficult seasons. We look forward to an exciting 2021 season when we open the fabulous West End Stadium.”
In his own statement made through his agent in response to the report, Amaya said that he "realized that the club doesn’t have the same level of commitment to me" and that he doesn't "feel my goals can be achieved in Cincinnati".
FC Cincinnati have struggled on the field through their first two seasons in MLS, finishing with a league-worst -44 goal differential in their 2019 expansion season and winning just four games while scoring a league-low 12 goals in 2020.
Amaya has been a regular part of the rotation for the club, with 40 appearances since his 2019 arrival.
The club have high hopes of 2021 being the dawn of a new era for FC Cincy, with a new stadium and the arrival of a blockbuster signing in Brenner symbolic of leaving those early struggles in the past.
