As Frankie Amaya’s story goes, soccer opportunities tend to come quickly for the Santa Ana native.
On Wednesday, Amaya was loaned from Toluca FC to the Los Angeles Football Club. On Friday, the 24-year-old midfielder addressed the media. On Sunday, the former No. 1 pick in the MLS SuperDraft could debut at BMO Stadium when LAFC hosts St. Louis City.
“It’s a little bit of a different system, but I think I’m very comfortable adapting super fast,” said Amaya, who joined LAFC (4-4-1, 13 points) through the end of the year. “I’m ready to go. I’ve been wanting to play already and I’m looking forward to the first game. If it’s on Sunday, then I’m happy to do it, but if I got to wait a little bit it’s no problem. I’m ready to go and I feel good.”
Following a productive season as a true freshman at UCLA in 2018, Amaya skipped three years of college eligibility to enter Major League Soccer as the top draft choice by FC Cincinnati.
Two years later, he was traded to the New York Red Bulls, where he played four seasons before moving to Mexico last summer.
“It’s always good to get out of your comfort zone and go to a different league and play somewhere else,” Amaya said of his time in Liga MX, where he made 15 appearances for Toluca. “It was good to learn new things from players, from coaches and I’m happy to be back in MLS and closer to home.”
Returning to Southern California on the final day of the MLS primary transfer window, Amaya says it’s always been a dream of his to play in front of family and friends. He believes he’s grown as a player, is sharper and has built on the qualities that yielded his fast success – hard work, a desire to compete off the ball, and technical ability.
An option anywhere in the midfield, Amaya is well suited to play as a 6 or an 8, and should bring needed depth to a group that has relied heavily on Mark Delgado, Timothy Tillman and Igor Jesus through 15 matches so far.
The acquisition, along with signing free agent Ryan Raposo, could offer LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo – who must watch the Sunday night match against St. Louis City (2-4-3, 9 points) from the stands following a red card in last weekend’s draw in Portland – a chance to not be so reliant on the Delgado-Tillman-Jesus triumvirate.
Overuse comes with the risk of injury or fatigue, and the reinforcements are also expected to boost the team’s tempo and intensity.
“It doesn’t change too much of the dynamic,” Delgado said. “You’re just adding more ammunition. You’re creating more of a competitive environment, which is great.
“We have the fans, we have the club behind us and everything we need to be successful. It’s a beautiful thing to have. Pressure creates diamonds so we look forward to it.”
For Amaya, who grew up 20 minutes from Carson, where he watched David Beckham play for the Galaxy, LAFC’s expansion season came as he played for UCLA. Since then, LAFC’s desire to win and put itself in big spots has been clear for anyone to see, he said.
“I just want to show what I showed the last six years I was in MLS,” said Amaya, who has 130 regular-season appearances in the league. “It feels good to be back and play with a very strong team like LAFC – very good players, very good team. It feels good to get back to work.”
ST. LOUIS CITY AT LAFC
When: 4 p.m. Sunday
Where: BMO Stadium
TV/radio: Apple TV (MLS Season Pass), Apple TV+/710 AM, ESPN LA App, 980 AM
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