Kellyn Acosta on USMNT future: “I need to do a whole lot more and that starts here”
Kellyn Acosta’s job with the Chicago Fire has always been multifaceted. On the pitch, his role as a defensive midfielder gives him responsibilities on both sides of the ball, solidifying the team’s structure on both defense and offense and helping the team control games in transition, where many MLS matches are won. On and off the pitch, he was expected to be a leader in the squad last season, captaining the team for three games and providing a valuable veteran presence in the locker room.
Going into 2025, a new role has been added to Acotsa’s job description: Translator. As the player on the squad who knows new Head Coach Gregg Berhalter best after their experiences together with the U.S. Men’s National Team, he’s the player best positioned to help his teammates understand what the gaffer is asking of his squad. When asked what his teammates have been asking about the new coach, Acosta said that it’s been “little comments here and there, asking ‘Oh what does he mean by this? What do you mean by that?’”
For Acosta, being reunited with the man who brought him to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022 seems welcome. “I think that having a rapport with him, a guy that I’m comfortable with and a guy that I’ve had so many years with makes it a bit easier, because I know what he’s asking of the group and asking for different players and how demanding he is. So having that is, obviously, a great place for me individually but it’s obviously, in the locker room, spreading that knowledge to the other teammates as well.”
“Leadership role” expected of Acosta
That’s part of a role that Berhalter expects of the midfielder that he selected to the 2022 FIFA World Cup squad when he was coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team, saying “he’s going to expect me to take on a leadership role within the group to help guys out. I mean, I’m not a young player anymore. I’ve spent a lot of years in this league, so it’s about bringing that experience of the game to the team.”
While some players only reluctantly accept leadership roles – last season, Rafael Czichos willingly relinquished the armband after two years as team captain – Acosta isn’t one of them. “I’m proud to be a leader and a veteran, and I’m just here to help guys as much as possible. I think for us, we’re better as a collective, so it’s important to bring everyone forward.”
“A new energy” From squad in 2025
Acosta’s first year with the Fire was a challenging one for both Acosta and the team, as the squad finished dead last in the Eastern Conference.
Asked about the atmosphere in the group early in preseason, Acosta said “I think it’s very different,” though he noted that he “wasn’t here for preseason last year,” having joined the Fire towards the end of the preseason as a free agent. At the time, the signing was considered a coup for Chicago as Acosta was widely considered one of, if not the, top name available in free agency that year. That made the Fire one of a number of teams actively courting the then-28-year-old, and at the time, Acosta said that his relatively late signing was due to the fact that, for the first time in his career, he had a choice of destinations and he wanted to ensure he was making the right team.
Now, though, he said “I just feel that there’s a new energy, a new feeling about this year. I think it’s a credit to, there’s new blood all around from staff to the front office, technical staff, all around. I think there’s a lot of positivity in that and we know that last year was not great. This year, we’re putting our best foot forward and it's really imperative for us to have a good preseason and obviously, learn and retain a lot of information from Gregg [Berhalter].”
Making 2026 World Cup squad would “Be a Dream Come True”
Even as Acosta is being asked to be a leader on a Fire team that is hoping for a significant uptick in form from last year, Kellyn Acosta is also aware that he, too needs to find a higher level than what he had through much of the last season, particularly if he wants to get more international caps under new USMNT Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino.
While he hasn’t been off the Argentine manager’s radar, noting “I’ve been in preliminary rounds of camps, that part of the roster,” he’s aware that he’ll need to do more, stating “I don’t think I was deserving even of getting a phone call [from Pochettino or his staff] by any means by my performances last year. I think for me to be kind of in the fold, I’ve got to do a whole lot more and that starts here.”
The goal is clear for Acosta: “Having a World Cup here on home soil and playing under a coach like Pochettino would be amazing. It’d be a dream come true to be in another World Cup, especially here. I’ve got my sight set on that still, but I know I have a long road ahead and a lot of work to do.”
Los Angeles Fires “Devastating” As Acosta recognizes community impact
Before coming to Chicago, Kellyn Acosta was at Los Angeles FC for several years, and although many members of the team have, like Acosta, moved on, others remain either with the club or in the area, including Carlos Vela, whose home was among those destroyed in the wildfires that have continued to burn around Los Angeles.
Asked about his reaction of seeing the disaster unfurl in a city where he lived for two years, he said that it’s been “super devastating to see,” but was quick to “shout out to the first responders and firefighters and everyone that’s been helping. I think putting others above yourself and being selfless, it’s a testament to who they are.”
And Acosta, who has for years been heavily involved in community work both directly and through his foundation (work that has earned him nominations for the league’s Impact Award), was quick to note the encouraging signs, seeing the “community rallying together to help one another,” still, “it's definitely been devastating. I’ve communicated with some of my friends and old teammates and seeing if they’re safe and good, and everyone seems to be alright, which is definitely positive,” while also adding that “just watching everything unfold from afar, I’m hoping that things can get better and turned around over there.”
Still early in the year, a hope for renewal and improvements from Acosta transcends his wishes for his individual performances and even those of his team, and serves as a reminder of the importance of community and that there are things far more important than the game.
