Amaya Named to 2019 Generation adidas Class
January 04, 2019 | Men's Soccer
Major League Soccer on Friday morning announced that UCLA standout freshman Frankie Amaya has signed a Generation adidas contract, making him eligible for next week's 2019 MLS SuperDraft.
Amaya is the 15th Bruin all-time to sign with Generation adidas. He will join teammate Erik Holt, who inked a Homegrown contract with Real Salt Lake on Thursday, in the MLS. UCLA senior midfielder Anderson Asiedu is also eligible for the MLS SuperDraft, and is participating in the 2019 MLS Combine which started on Thursday.
Amaya earned Freshman All-America acclaim in his debut season with the Bruins. Appearing in 14 games and recording six points (two goals, two assists), he was also a First Team All-Pac-12 and Second Team All-Far West Region selection. The Santa Ana, Calif. native was called up to the U.S. U-20 Men's National Team twice during the course of the season, helping the U.S. to the CONCACAF U-20 Tournament championship, ensuring a spot in the upcoming U-20 World Cup.
The 2019 Generation adidas class also includes Syracuse winger Tajon Buchanan, Indiana winger Griffin Dorsey, Virginia Commonwealth winger Siad Haji, UNC defender John Nelson, Maryland goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair and Kentucky forward JJ Williams.
Generation adidas is a joint venture between MLS and adidas, designed to give select promising underclassmen and youth national team players a route to go professional. Players in the program are signed to MLS deals before the SuperDraft, do not count against MLS teams' salary budget and are provided additional incentives for their personal development outside the sport.
The MLS SuperDraft will take place on Jan. 11 in Chicago.
