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Luciano Acosta

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Luciano Acosta
Acosta with FC Cincinnati in 2023
Personal information
Full name Luciano Federico Acosta
Date of birth (1994-05-31) 31 May 1994 (age 30)
Place of birth Buenos Aires, Argentina
Height 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team
 FC Cincinnati
Number 10
Youth career
Comunicaciones
2007–2014 Boca Juniors
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2016 Boca Juniors 25 (2)
2015 → Estudiantes (loan) 27 (1)
2016 → D.C. United (loan) 31 (3)
2017–2019 D.C. United 95 (21)
2020–2021 Atlas 33 (3)
2021– FC Cincinnati 125 (48)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 October 2024

Luciano Federico "Lucho" Acosta (born 31 May 1994) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Major League Soccer club FC Cincinnati.

Career

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Boca Juniors

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Acosta joined the youth ranks of the "Xeneize" club at the age of 14, after a brief stint at Club Comunicaciones. From a very young age, he faced growth issues, similar to those encountered by the successful footballer Lionel Messi. Acosta once mentioned that a medical professional told him that he would no longer grow, but he persevered by accepting his short stature.[1][2]

In the youth divisions, he was for a considerable time a substitute for the current Juventus player, Leandro Paredes, who at that time was regarded as the club’s top youth prospect. As both played in the same position, Acosta's debut was delayed by a few years.[3]

2013–14 Argentine Primera División season

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He would play another match, this time against Belgrano de Córdoba at home, in a game without an audience due to incidents that occurred during the 2013 Torneo Inicial. In this match, he came on as a substitute for Nahuel Zarate in the 72nd minute of the second half and scored his first goal in the top flight. However, his team would lose the match 2-3.[4]

He played his third consecutive match as a first-division footballer, again in the same tournament, against Atlético Rafaela, where he started the match.[5] He played his fourth match, his second consecutive one as a starter, against Estudiantes de La Plata, in a 1-0 victory for his team, where he stood out as one of the top performers of the match.[6] He played two more matches from the start, which included a loss to Vélez in round 5[7] and a home victory against Olimpo, where he delivered a notable performance.[8]

His next match was against Racing Club de Avellaneda at the Estadio Juan Domingo Perón, where his team secured a victory.[9] In that match, he came on as a substitute and helped Boca Juniors score the winning goal.

In the next game, he started again and delivered another good performance, assisting on Emmanuel Gigliotti's goal, which gave his team a short lead.The match ended in a draw.[10] He played another match as a starter against Quilmes.

In round 10, Boca Juniors faced River Plate, where Acosta came on in the 66th minute as a substitute for Juan Sánchez Miño, but his team lost 2-1. In the next match against Rosario Central, which ended in a 2-1 defeat, he came on as a substitute in the 72nd minute. In the following round, a 3-0 win against Godoy Cruz, he remained on the bench without playing. He returned to action in the next match, coming on as a substitute for Federico Bravo. In the subsequent 0-0 draw against San Lorenzo de Almagro, he came on in the 77th minute for Hernan Grana.

He returned to the starting lineup in round 15, in an away match against Club Atlético Tigre, where he played the full 90 minutes in a 0-1 victory for his team.[11]

For round 16, the coach decided to start Juan Manuel Martínez, so Acosta returned to the bench but came on as a substitute and won a penalty, which Emmanuel Gigliotti converted in a 4-2 victory over Arsenal de Sarandí.[12]

He found himself on the bench again for the matches against Club Atlético All Boys and Club Atlético Lanús. He returned to the starting lineup for the final match of the tournament, an away match against Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata, where he scored the goal that secured his team's victory.

This concluded his first tournament as a professional, with a positive balance of 17 matches, alternating between starting and substitute roles, recording 2 goals and 1 assist.

D.C. United

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In 2016, Acosta went on a season-long loan to D.C. United of Major League Soccer. Acosta made his competitive debut on in a CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal match against Queretaro. He scored his first goal for D.C. United in the 86th minute of a league game against the New England Revolution on 23 April.

After the 2016 season, D.C. United purchased Acosta's contract outright for a club record fee.[13] He scored his first professional hat-trick on 13 August 2018 when playing for D.C. United against Orlando City and the match ended 3–2 in favor of D.C. United.[14] On 21 October 2018, Acosta provided an assist for Wayne Rooney following an outstanding dribble, and also scored himself in a 3–1 win over New York City FC which secured a play-off spot in the MLS Cup for D.C. United.[15]

Since Wayne Rooney's arrival to D.C. United, Luciano and Wayne developed a good chemistry together in the field and provided goals and assists to each other. Their chemistry made them to be considered to one of the best duos in all of MLS.[citation needed] D.C. United fans nicknamed their duo "Luchoroo".[16]

Before the 2019 season, Acosta was very close to sign for Paris Saint-Germain F.C. Sources said the offer to D.C. United was under US$10 million and Acosta was scheduled to arrive at Paris for his medical.[17] In the 2019 MLS Season, Acosta's form was declining,[citation needed] and was starting to get pushed out of the first team. After the 2019 season, Acosta's contract with D.C. United ended. He played his last game for D.C. on 19 October 2019, in a MLS playoff game against Toronto FC. On 12 November 2019, Acosta told an Argentine radio channel, 'La Mano de Dios', that former D.C. teammate Wayne Rooney told him he wanted to bring him to Derby County, where Rooney was going to become player-coach in 2020.[18] Acosta left D.C. United at the end of the 2019 season when his contract expired.[19][20]

Atlas

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On 19 December 2019, it was announced that Acosta would join Liga MX side Atlas on 1 January 2020.[21][22][23] Acosta scored his first goal for Atlas against Tijuana on 31 January 2020.[24]

FC Cincinnati

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Acosta celebrates after scoring a goal in September 2023.

On 17 March 2021, Acosta returned to Major League Soccer, joining FC Cincinnati on a three-year deal as a designated player. FC Cincinnati acquired his MLS rights from D.C. United in exchange for $250,000 in General Allocation Money plus potential future incentives.[25] He made his debut for the club on 17 April 2021 in their opener against Nashville SC. He scored in the 8th minute as FC Cincinnati drew 2–2 away.[26]

He won the MLS MVP for the 2023 season.

Personal life

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Acosta holds a U.S. green card, which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.[27]

Career statistics

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As of match played 2 November 2024[28]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Boca Juniors 2013–14 Argentine Primera División 16 2 0 0 — — 16 2
2014 9 0 0 0 3[a] 0 — 12 0
Total 25 2 0 0 3 0 — 28 2
Estudiantes (loan) 2015 Argentine Primera División 27 1 4 0 7[b] 1 — 38 2
D.C. United (loan) 2016 MLS 31 3 1 0 2[c] 0 1[d] 0 35 3
D.C. United 2017 MLS 31 5 1 0 — — 32 5
2018 33 10 2 1 — 1[d] 0 36 11
2019 31 6 2 0 — 1[d] 0 34 6
Total 126 24 6 1 2 0 3 0 137 25
Atlas 2019–20 Liga MX 10 1 — — — 10 1
2020–21 23 2 — — — 23 2
Total 33 3 — — — 33 3
FC Cincinnati 2021 MLS 31 7 — — — 31 7
2022 30 10 2 0 — 2[d] 1 34 11
2023 32 17 5 1 — 7[e] 3 44 21
2024 32 14 — 4[c] 1 4[f] 0 40 15
Total 125 48 7 1 4 1 13 4 149 54
Career total 336 78 17 2 16 2 16 4 385 86
  1. ^ Appearances in Copa Sudamericana
  2. ^ Appearances in Copa Libertadores
  3. ^ a b Appearances in CONCACAF Champions League/Cup
  4. ^ a b c d Appearances in MLS Cup playoffs
  5. ^ Three appearances and one goal in Leagues Cup, four appearances and two goals in MLS Cup playoffs
  6. ^ Two appearances in Leagues Cup, two appearances in MLS Cup playoffs

Honours

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FC Cincinnati

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "La conmovedora historia de Luciano Acosta, la revelación de Boca en el torneo". 8 March 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  2. ^ Diario Olé (8 March 2014). ""Me dijeron que no iba a crecer más"". Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  3. ^ Diario Olé (18 January 2014). "Jugá de Román". Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  4. ^ "Belgrano se aprovechó de un Boca perdido". 16 February 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  5. ^ Los Andes (20 February 2014). "Claudio Riaño y Luciano Acosta serán los delanteros ante Rafaela". Archived from the original on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  6. ^ Diario Olé (24 February 2014). "Le creció el enano". Archived from the original on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  7. ^ "Vélez le dio un nuevo golpe a Boca y da pelea en el Final". 1 March 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  8. ^ "Con un gol de Riquelme, Boca venció a Olimpo y salió del fondo". 5 March 2014. Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  9. ^ Diario Clarín (10 March 2014). "Boca no fue más que Racing, pero lo venció y consiguió calma". Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  10. ^ Diario Clarín (16 March 2014). "Argentinos amargó a Boca sobre el final con un golazo de Pisculichi". Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  11. ^ "Sólo por una genialidad de Riquelme, Boca ganó en cancha de Tigre". 20 April 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  12. ^ "Con una buena actuación, Boca superó a Arsenal en la Bombonera". 28 April 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  13. ^ Carlisle, Jeff (16 November 2016). "D.C. United acquire Luciano Acosta in record deal". ESPN. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  14. ^ "United finalize transfer for Luciano Acosta with largest transfer fee in club history". D.C. United. 15 November 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  15. ^ "DC United 3, New York City FC 1 - 2018 MLS Match Recap". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  16. ^ "It's Luchoroo Round 2 for D.C. United: Acosta, Rooney duo returns to MLS". Orlando Sentinel. 28 February 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  17. ^ "D.C. United star Luciano Acosta not making move to PSG - sources". ESPN. 31 January 2019.
  18. ^ Thorogood, Tom (12 November 2019). "DC United's Luciano Acosta says Wayne Rooney has told him to sign for Derby County". Derby County News. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  19. ^ "D.C. United have announced that 16 players are under contract for the 2020 MLS season". D.C. United.
  20. ^ "Thank You Luciano Acosta". D.C. United.[permanent dead link]
  21. ^ "Atlas FC". www.atlasfc.com.mx. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  22. ^ "Ex-DC United man Luciano Acosta signs with Atlas of Liga MX | MLSsoccer.com".
  23. ^ "Luciano Acosta (DC United) signs for Atlas FC". football-news24.com. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  24. ^ Quillen, Ian (1 February 2020). "Wayne Rooney, Luciano Acosta each hit Friday night belters for their new clubs". mlssoccer.com. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  25. ^ "FCC acquire Luciano Acosta as a Designated Player | FC Cincinnati".
  26. ^ "Nashville SC 2–2 FC Cincinnati". Soccerway.
  27. ^ "Luciano Acosta obtains permanent residence in US with Green Card". DCUnited.com. 24 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  28. ^ Luciano Acosta at Soccerway
  29. ^ "FC Cincinnati's Luciano Acosta named 2023 Landon Donovan MLS MVP". Major League Soccer. 27 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  30. ^ "Major League Soccer – Statistics – Assists". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  31. ^ "2018 MLS Best XI". Major League Soccer. 11 November 2018.
  32. ^ "2022 MLS Best XI presented by Continental Tire". Major League Soccer. 2 November 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  33. ^ "2023 MLS Best XI presented by Continental Tire". Major League Soccer. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  34. ^ "2022 MLS All-Star Game Roster". Major League Soccer. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  35. ^ "2023 MLS All-Star Team Roster". Major League Soccer. 7 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  36. ^ "DC United's Luciano Acosta named September MLS Player of the Month". Major League Soccer. 4 October 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  37. ^ "FC Cincinnati midfielder Luciano Acosta named June Player of the Month". Major League Soccer. 6 July 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  38. ^ "FC Cincinnati midfielder Luciano Acosta named MLS Player of the Month". Major League Soccer. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  39. ^ "FC Cincinnati midfielder Luciano Acosta named MLS Player of the Month". Major League Soccer. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  40. ^ "FC Cincinnati's Luciano Acosta named MLS Player of the Month". Major League Soccer. 31 May 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  41. ^ "FC Cincinnati's Luciano Acosta wins 2023 AT&T 5G MLS Goal of the Year". Major League Soccer. 9 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
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