Orange County SC loanee Frankie Amaya, playing for FC Cincinnati. | Photo courtesy of FC Cincinnati.
IRVINE, Calif. (April 17, 2019) – Orange County announced today the arrival of Orange County native Frankie Amaya, pending league and federation approval. He joins the club on a one-month loan from MLS club FC Cincinnati.
Amaya, from Santa Ana, Orange County spent his youth career representing the Pateadores academy before being recruited by UCLA. In his rookie year, he was voted Freshman All-American and First Team All-Pac 12. During his time with the Bruins, he was called up to represent the U-20 U.S. National Team and made his debut against France early last year.
The 18-year-old midfielder was then selected number one overall in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft by FC Cincinnati in January of this year. He went on to make his MLS debut in March, coming on as a second-half substitute against Philadelphia Union.
He joins up with Orange County SC on a month loan, prior to his likely participation in the 2019 U-20 World Cup in Poland, which begins May 23, 2019. He is eligible to make his debut for the club this weekend on the road against OKC Energy FC.
ABOUT ORANGE COUNTY SOCCER CLUB
Orange County Soccer Club is Orange County’s only professional soccer team that is part of the United Soccer League (USL), the fastest growing Division II professional soccer league in the world. The USL is comprised of 34 teams across the United States. The team plays its home games at the Orange County Great Park’s Championship Soccer Stadium, located in Irvine, CA. Nestled in the heart of the Great Park, Championship Soccer Stadium has a capacity of over 5,000 for Orange County SC matches. Orange County SC was one of 12 founding members of the USL during its inaugural 2011 season. The preceding club, Orange County Blues, won the 2015 Western Conference Regular Season Championship and reached the Western Conference Semi-Finals of the USL Playoffs in back-to-back seasons. Team owner and Chief Investment Officer of LARO Properties, James Keston, purchased and re-branded the team in 2017. Keston, who actively oversees all operations of the team, is dedicated to providing a pathway to professional soccer and a world-class soccer organization that focuses on the fans, players and youth clubs of Orange County.
For more information about Orange County Soccer Club, and to experience professional soccer in the OC, visit: http://www.orangecountysoccer.com. For more information about the United Soccer League, visit: http://www.uslsoccer.com.
