The other boot dropped Wednesday in the Earthquakes’ reacquisition of forward Scott Sealy, and it landed squarely on the head of fan favorite Quincy Amarikwa.
San Jose traded Amarikwa, their third-round selection in the 2009 SuperDraft, to Colorado in exchange for the Rapids' second-round pick in the 2012 draft. The move frees up a roster spot on the Quakes’ 24-man roster to make room for Sealy, who is returning to MLS—and San Jose—after a year spent in Israel.
“Our signing of Scott Sealy drops (Amarikwa) down the pecking order; we have a quality striker coming back,” Quakes coach Frank Yallop said after practice Wednesday. “Once you sign another forward, you feel that that player’s time is going to be limited.”
Amarikwa was notably absent from the team’s scrimmage against Santa Clara on Tuesday night. He posted a message Wednesday morning on his Facebook page saying: “Just got traded to Colorado Rapids . . . so long California.”
Amarikwa, a UC Davis product and Bakersfield native, endeared himself to the Earthquakes faithful with his quickness and unstinting hustle, although all that work didn’t translate into an equal amount of success on the scoresheet. The 22-year-old recorded one goal and two assists in 602 minutes as a rookie, scoring Oct. 7 in the Quakes’ final home game of the season with a swift run onto a long lead pass, followed by a tough-angle chip over Dallas keeper Dario Sala.
The Quakes could have gone in a different direction to make room, such as trading or outright releasing third-string goalkeeper Andrew Weber, but Yallop intimated that other options weren’t given much consideration. With Sealy joining incumbent starter Ryan Johnson, highly touted newcomer Eduardo, fellow Trinidad & Tobago international Cornell Glen, longtime Quakes mainstay Arturo Alvarez and local product Chris Wondolowski, it was clear Amarikwa was facing an uphill battle to get into San Jose’s lineup regularly.
“I think it’s best for all parties,” Yallop said. “I think Quincy’s pretty happy with the move. Whether he is or not, it’s better for him to get more chances to play, if he works out to be good enough. And that’s the big question. We’ll see. Hopefully he does well—just not against us.”
