A frustrated Khano Smith has voiced his discontent at being dropped from New York Red Bulls' squad, writes Stephen Wright.

Smith, who was scheduled to play in last night's US Open Cup match against DC United, has found the going tough since signing for Red Bulls from Seattle Sounders in pre-season.

And he revealed that coach Juan Carlos Osario has spoken to him about his inconsistent form this season, but refused to expand on the finer details of the pair's conversation.

"I don't know. You'd have to ask him. I don't know.

"I just come here and try to do my best." Smith said in an interview with the New York Post. "Yeah, of course (I'm upset).

"I'm not playing: Of course I'm not happy."

When the Bermuda international was asked about his crossing or any of the tactical or technical improvements Osorio had asked him to make, he declined to answer.

"We discussed it. I don't want to talk about it. You can ask him,'' Smith said. "Maybe he'll want to tell you. But he told me the reason for it last week.

"I'll keep that between him and me.

"If he wants to tell you, he can tell you.''

Osorio admitted Smith, like a few other players, was finding it tough on the sidelines, but he said he didn't have any problem with the 28-year-old's attitude and hadn't written him off yet.

"He's OK,'' Osorio said. "He's finding it hard, as well as other players – Andrew (Boyens), Dominic (Oduro), Dane, (Juan) Pietravallo – guys that've been in different clubs and have been regulars in their team.

"But they know now they are all competing for places here, that every day is an opportunity for them to impress.

"Every game we go into now is a huge opportunity for them to claim a place in the starting line-up; so I see the whole thing as being a positive because then they push amongst themselves to become better, and hopefully that will be the case.

"We certainly have not written anybody off.''

In an exclusive interview with The Royal Gazette earlier this season Osario demanded more from an under-performing Smith.

He said: "He's still not the Khano that I think he can be.

"He's finding his place and as a team player he's doing well but as an individual player we need to find a little more from him particularly in the attacking third.

"In isolated situations he needs to take his defender one-on-one and produce more for us when we are attacking.

"Hopefully we can get him beating his full back in one-on-one situations."