FRISCO - As the U-16s lifted the Development Academy championship in California, one FC Dallas homegrown product was scoring his first career MLS goal.
In the 73rd minute against D.C. United on Saturday, 19-year-old defensive midfielder Kellyn Acosta netted his first MLS goal as he punched a shot in a few yards out from forward David Texiera’s pass inside the box.
“It was long-awaited,” Acosta said. “I had a few shots today, but luckily I was in the right spot at the right time and put it away, so I’m happy about that.”
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Acosta had a few cracks throughout the match that were sent over the bar. He said head coach Oscar Pareja had been pushing his defensive mids to move up and provide offensive options.
“Oscar is very demanding of me and Vic helping out with the attack; One of us going up and one of us sits,” Acosta said. “We’ve been working on that during practice, and I think it paid off. Both of us had a couple shots each. Luckily, I put one away. He had a couple on target. I barely missed a few. Hopefully in the next few games I’ll start putting them away.”
Pareja said after the game that Acosta played fantastic and his performance was amazing. He added that Acosta has been growing since his return from the U-20 World Cup team.
“He’s really dominated the field and comes and gives us a goal,” Pareja said. "He’s understanding the game is a complete game. It’s not just about getting the ball back, but playing and being effective and the distribution. We asked him to step in the box and he did it. It was very good.”
Acosta won the U-18 National Championship while with the Academy team. It seemed a little more than a coincidence that his first MLS goal would come while the U-16s won their championship.
“Hopefully we’ll see a few [U-16s] in the near future,” Acosta said. “We were cheering on them the whole way. I’m glad they finished the job and can bring a trophy back.”
