Amir Daley Looks to his First Team Counterparts as an Example to Follow in First Season as a Professional

April 17, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Cincinnati News Release

The transition from college to the pros isn’t for everyone, especially for athletes. Playing professionally is a privilege that very few get the opportunity to pursue. Still, the change from being a student to playing soccer as life’s first occupation can have speed bumps.

The intensity, the consistency required to compete everyday, the uptick in required focus and commitment to yourself and your game can be a wake-up call for all.

For Amir Daley, a defender from Duke University who signed an MLS NEXT Pro contract with FC Cincinnati 2 this offseason and now leads the team in goals with three just five games into the season, the jump to the pros has not only been a dream come true, but focused his vision.

“You get a little load off of you because you’re really just responsible for your soccer and the things that relate to that,” Daley said to FCCincinnati.com. “It’s your life and I love it. Honestly, I’m getting better at it, getting used to it. So, I’m just loving that transition right now.”

Daley was no academic slouch either. A graduate at Duke after four years with the Blue Devils, the New York native was named to the All-ACC Academic First Team in his final season, as well as being named a Top Drawer Soccer Top 100 player and one of 44 players to earn an invite to the 2023 adidas MLS College Showcase.

So now, that Blue Devil has found his way to Cincinnati, his ability to focus exclusively on his game has allowed him to use his energy to improve as a pro.

While at Duke, Daley was charged with being a more “defensive player.” He played center back and as a defensive midfielder, but was purely oriented with being a defensive stopper. Which makes his breakout as an offensive star for FCC 2 all the more fascinating, but equally exciting.

Since joining the club, Daley has been exclusively utilized as a wingback in FCC 2 Head Coach Tyrone Marshall’s utilization. He leads the club with three goals through five MLS NEXT Pro matches, including a brace against New England Revolution II. The wingback role is an important one for FC Cincinnati, the way Pat Noonan has deployed that position in the first team has been key to the teams success and thus adds extra importance to how FCC 2 looks to develop players at that position.

But having never played that role, nor any role with such an attacking mindset at the forefront, the jump to wingback has been simplified by the example of players in front of…