Darmstadt coach Torsten Frings roasts Florian Jungwirth over his MLS 'dream'

Published Jan. 30, 2017 3:56 p.m. ET

Aaron West

Florian Jungwirth really really wants a move to MLS. The 28-year-old German midfielder has spent two years in the Bundesliga with Darmstadt, clocking up 64 appearances for the club, but now he wants to move on, and he knows exactly where he wants to be.

"It's my wish to continue my career in the United States," Jungwirth told German magazine kicker earlier in January. "And I clearly communicated it when I extended my deal here. I hope that the transfer now happens at short notice."

According to ESPN FC, the San Jose Earthquakes have expressed interest in bringing Jungwirth to MLS, and the player is clearly enthusiastic about joining the league too.

The problem? His coach says he can't leave until they find a replacement for his starting midfielder.

"I also have many dreams which don't turn into reality," Darmstadt manager Torsten Frings told kicker on Thursday. "We need to find a like-for-like alternative. As long as that's not the case, he can't leave."

It's gotten even worse for Jungwirth too, with Frings completely leaving him out of the squad for their 6-1 shellacking at home to Cologne, and blasting him for "training like he wanted to go to the United States" in his post-match interview.

Jungwirth's contract expires this summer, but Darmstadt haven't secured a replacement for the holding midfielder, and according to Frings, "as long as there isn't one, he needs to continue to work his butt off for us."

Darmstadt are languishing at the bottom of the Bundesliga table, and staring relegation in the face. Frings just took charge of the struggling club during the winter break, and he warned Jungwirth that he won't be held at ransom over a move, and he'll have to continue working until they secure a replacement or his contract expires.

"If he doesn't do that, he'll sit in the stands for six months," said Frings. "There's no other way. Players can't dictate to the club what they have to do. Contracts are there to fulfill them."

"We can't make ourselves worse than we already are, just because someone wants to fulfill himself a dream," Frings went on to say. "I dreamt that we'd win today, but it did not turn into reality. And what can I do about it?"

Frings' position makes sense. Darmstadt are already struggling to stay up, and losing their starting midfielder without securing a quality replacement in the January transfer window would probably all but condemn them to relegation. Good business is notoriously difficult to pull off in January, and Frings is understandably loath to see Jungwirth go, especially with the window closing on Tuesday.

There's another side to this one though, and Jungwirth says he didn't just spring this request to the club overnight, going on to point out the funny timing of Frings' comment.

"Sure, the coach can criticize my training performances in public," the former German youth international said to kicker. "But whether that belongs on a news conference following a 6-1 defeat where I wasn't even in the squad is anyone's guess."

Jungwirth went on to say that Frings "overstated his case," and restated that the club knew about his desire to play in MLS "for months."

"Everyone knows with how much blood, sweat and tears I threw myself into it every single minute I stood on the pitch for Darmstadt. Thus, the criticism is not only inappropriate and unfair, but also just wrong," Jungwirth said.

With just a couple days left in the transfer window, it's looking increasingly unlikely Jungwirth will get his wish, but it remains to be seen if he finally gets his dream move. It just may be put on hold by six months.