From Plano to the World Cup: Kellyn Acosta shares his story

At 30 years of age, Kellyn Acosta has done it all in American soccer. He’s won the most prestigious trophy in MLS with Los Angeles FC. He’s started week in week out in Chicago, Colorado and Dallas. He’s even played in the biggest sporting competition in the world. But his first soccer stage wasn’t in any of those aforementioned cities, but Plano, Texas.

Born in Plano to a Japanese-American father and an African-American mother, Acosta joined FC Dallas’ academy in 2009 and skyrocketed through the youth ranks for club and country, playing in the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico as well as being the youngest American at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Türkiye. And after previously giving his word to the University of Maryland’s soccer team, Acosta decided to pull a U-Turn by signing a homegrown contract with FC Dallas, where he won the 2011/12 U.S. Soccer Development Academy Central Conference Player of the Year award.

“I don't want to downplay collegiate ball, but I think just for myself and my journey, I had the opportunity to sign for FC Dallas, and that was always my dream, to be a professional soccer player. When you get the opportunity to do so, you want to capitalize on it,” stated Acosta in an exclusive Big D Soccer interview. “If I were to have gone down the collegiate route and attended to University of Maryland, it would have been a great experience and helped me along the way, but I think that playing in the academy and playing for a team below was more important for myself. A lot of kids nowadays are getting the opportunity to do so, but everyone's journey is different; we all go in different routes, so it just kind of depends on the person.”

Finding His Place in Dallas

After being forced to wait a year before receiving eligibility, Acosta made his professional debut in a 3-0 defeat at Seattle before starting in 11 of Dallas’ final 12 matches of the 2013 season and commencing the 2014 season as the team’s starting right back, only to be sidelined for four months after suffering an avulsion fracture of the kneecap and spend the next four months on the sidelines. Acosta would bounce back in sensational fashion in 2015 with four goals and one assist in 26 appearances and making a seamless transition from the right back position to the holding midfield position. He did even better in 2016, helping Dallas to end a 19-year trophy drought with the U.S. Open Cup as well as a maiden Supporters’ Shield title, and earning the praise of leading MLS pundits like Kevin Egan, Taylor Twellman and Bradley Wright-Phillips.  

“Playing outside back is a bit crazy for me because that wasn't my position at all. I grew up being a midfielder, and it wasn’t until a regional camp that the coach saw that all the outside backs were injured and they just needed someone to play there. I was like, ‘I'll play there, no problem.’ I'm used to playing a different position, I’ll play as a forward or a center back or a center back, I’m young and eager, and I just want to go out there and play. It was one of those things where I just did really well there. The coaches liked me because I was athletic, I was quick, I was pretty technical, and I was smart, and so that was just a position that I just kind of got thrown in.”

“I just made it mine for a time period, but ultimately, I mean, I've always wanted to play center midfielder. That’s a position that I always saw myself playing, a position that I enjoyed the most. I spent some years at outside back, right back, and left back, and it was a journey. I mean, I had to adapt, I had to learn, but it went from a position that I was unfamiliar with to a position that I played consistently….even making my pro debut, I was playing as an outside back. I also played a number of games for the national team at left back, and it wasn’t until a little bit later on in my career that I got moved into center midfield.”

The Weight of Longevity

After an unforgettable chapter in Texas that saw him score 13 goals and nine assists in 139 appearances, Acosta was traded to Colorado Rapids on July 23, 2018, in exchange for Dominique Badji. Acosta quickly established himself as an indispensable presence in central midfield for Colorado, leading them from one of the worst records in MLS to one of the best. These stellar displays would earn the attention of USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter, who brought him back into the national team fold after two years in the wilderness and gave him the opportunity to participate in the Gold Cup as well as the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Whilst Acosta ended 2022 by competing in the world’s biggest tournament, he started it by being shipped off to Los Angeles FC, where he continued his meteoric progression and helped them win the Supporters’ Shield and a maiden MLS Cup title.

Acosta headed for the Windy City in the 2024 season where, after scoring three goals and two assists in 36 appearances, he was reunited with Berhalter for the 2025 campaign. But rather than launching him back into the national team picture, Berhalter’s arrival has seen Acosta take a backseat role in the final weeks of the campaign, making just 22 appearances. For the first time in his illustrious MLS career, Acosta finds himself on the outside looking in, playing just four minutes in their final five matches of the campaign.

“19-year-old Kellyn would have been a menace right now…I’d have been playing the victim card, asking ‘Why me?’, because I didn’t know what I was doing. Obviously, I'm not happy with my situation at Chicago, but I'm more patient knowing that if I put the work in with the right mindset, and I can control what I can control, the outcome will be in my favor. So that's what I'm focused on, that's what I believe in, and, I think the best part is just having a strong character being the best team player that I can possibly be despite not being in a situation that's ideal.”