FC Cincinnati's Luciano Acosta reflects on Liga MX before MLS All-Star Game
MINNEAPOLIS – Like a lot of his peers, Luciano Acosta was played out on interviews by early Tuesday afternoon of Major League Soccer’s All-Star Game week.
“Can’t keep track,” Acosta said when asked how many press appearances he’d logged up to that point.
That’s the price you pay when you’re one of the faces of MLS, though, and Acosta certainly is that.
He’s grateful to be in Minneapolis for the 2022 MLS All-Star Game. Formerly an MLS Best XI selection in 2018, Acosta hadn't quite done enough previously over his two spells in MLS to earn an All-Star Game nod.
But now, at FC Cincinnati, Acosta's matured on and off the field. He's upped his already-formidable game and persona to evolve into a dynamic force on the field, a leader in the locker room, and adored figure to club staff and supporters alike.
Considering that, Acosta was worthy of basking in the accomplishments of his 2022, which include six goals, 14 assists (that’s approaching his MLS career best of 17 from 2018), and pushing FC Cincinnati into relevance in the playoff discussion.
“I feel a lot more complete, a lot more calm about these kinds of things,” Acosta said Tuesday. “This is obviously an individual award, but this is also a team award, being here. It’s really cool to have the best players in the league and just be right next to them, right among them, but just trying to stay calm, take in the experience and enjoy it because it’s very cool.”
There's another side to this All-Star Game for Acosta, though. The fact he'll look across the Allianz Field playing surface on Wednesday and see reminders of his short spell in Liga MX, and Atlas FC specifically, will likely bring his mind to a more concerning moment in his career.
Acosta played at Atlas for about a year. The club’s results disappointed, and Acosta too might have underwhelmed a bit with three goals and two assists over 34 appearances (27 starts).
Adding to that, Acosta arrived at Atlas on the heels of a botched attempt to transfer from D.C. United to French powerhouse, Paris Saint-Germain. Acosta opted not to delve into the specifics of his frustrations from the 2020 Liga MX season and that period in his life, but it was clearly an uncomfortable time.
He faced up to that fact this week, if only briefly and in interviews. But he might be required to confront his past again when he's face-to-face with his now-former peers and teammates.
“At the time, when I left D.C., it was very quick and I had a couple of things personally that I needed to work out. Atlas was the option,” Acosta said via an FC Cincinnati interpreter. “I had a good one season there but I don’t think about that so much anymore. It was a difficult year at Atlas. They hadn’t won a title in 70 years and the pressure was really big at that time. But I’m here now, and I don’t really want to say anything bad about my time there.”
But to acknowledge Acosta’s time at Atlas is to also contrast it against how his life in the game, and life in general, has progressed.
He’s truly happy at FC Cincinnati, and his family enjoys Greater Cincinnati.
When the cameras and recording devices relent, Acosta’s very content with representing FC Cincinnati in Minneapolis, too.
“It’s going to be a difficult game (on Wednesday), a fun one,” Acosta said. “I’m excited to see some of the friends from when I was in Atlas. To play against them is going to be a challenge… Camilo Vargas was my teammate at Atlas and to score a goal on him would be enjoyable.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: MLS All-Star Game: FC Cincinnati's Luciano Acosta talks Liga MX
