Jorge Acosta (born May 29, 1964) is a Colombian-born American retired
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
. He spent most of his career in the lower U.S. divisions, as well as four in the Colombian first division. He also earned twelve
caps
Caps are flat headgear.
Caps or CAPS may also refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters
* Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...
with the
U.S. national team in 1991 and 1992.
Early life
Acosta was born in Colombia, but attended
Kennedy High School in
Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[Long Island University
Long Island University (LIU) is a private university with two main campuses, LIU Post and LIU Brooklyn, in the U.S. state of New York. It offers more than 500 academic programs at its main campuses, online, and at multiple non-residential. LIU ...]
.
Career
Professional
In 1988, he signed with the
New Jersey Eagles The New Jersey Eagles were an American soccer team founded in 1987 as the Cosmopolitan Eagles. In 1988, they entered the third American Soccer League as the New Jersey Eagles. They folded following the 1990 American Professional Soccer League s ...
of the
American Soccer League (ASL). The Eagles played their home games in historic Hinchliffe Stadium. That season he led the ASL in scoring with fourteen goals, garnering All Star honors. Acosta spent two more seasons with the Eagles, his scoring declining each year. The Eagles folded at the end of the 1990 season and Acosta moved to the
Albany Capitals
The Albany Capitals joined the third incarnation of the American Soccer League in 1988. The team joined the American Professional Soccer League in 1990 when the ASL merged with the Western Soccer League. The club played in Albany, New York.
After ...
. However, he managed only a single goal in ten games with the Capitals. The team folded at the end of the season and Acosta moved to Colombia to pursue a career there. While with the Eagles, the
St. Louis Steamers of the
Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) drafted Acosta in the second round of the 1988 Player Draft. However, the Steamers folded before the season began and the league held a dispersal draft. The
Dallas Sidekicks then selected Acosta. Acosta spent one season with the Sidekicks, scoring only five goals in thirty-seven games. The Sidekicks released Acosta at the end of the season and he returned to the Eagles for the 1989 ASL season. In 1991, he played for the
Albany Capitals
The Albany Capitals joined the third incarnation of the American Soccer League in 1988. The team joined the American Professional Soccer League in 1990 when the ASL merged with the Western Soccer League. The club played in Albany, New York.
After ...
. In 1991, Acosta moved to Colombia where he joined
Deportivo Cali
Asociación Deportivo Cali, best known as Deportivo Cali, is a Colombian sports club based in Cali, most notable for its football team, which currently competes in the Categoría Primera A.
Deportivo Cali is one of the most successful footba ...
. He played for Deportivo until 1995, when he returned to the United States and signed with the
New York Fever of
USISL
United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...
. He played fifteen games and scored three goals that year. The
MetroStars of
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
(MLS) selected Acosta in the 15th round (149th overall) of the
1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft
The MLS Inaugural Player Draft, held before Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United State ...
. However, the MetroStars waived Acosta on April 15, 1996 and he rejoined the Fever. He scored his first of five goals in the 1996 season nine days after he was released from the MetroStars.
1996 APSL
/ref>
International
Acosta earned twelve caps
Caps are flat headgear.
Caps or CAPS may also refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters
* Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...
with the U.S. national team. His first cap came in a September 14, 1991 win over Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
. He became a regular with the team through the rest of 1991 and into 1992. However, he was unable to score and by the end of 1992, he was dropped from the national team.
Coaching
Since retiring from playing professionally, Acosta has held various youth athletic and soccer positions including Assistant Camp Director of the Mickey Kydes
Mickey Kydes (born July 25, 1964 in Norwalk, Connecticut) is a retired American soccer midfielder who played professionally in the Major Indoor Soccer League, USISL and Major League Soccer. He also spent three seasons in Greece and several in the ...
Soccer Enterprises and the Program Director for Rec clinics at Old Greenwich Riverside Civic Center in Connecticut.
References
External links
Sidekicks profile
Mickey Kydes Soccer Enterprises
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acosta, Jorge
1964 births
Colombian footballers
Footballers from Barranquilla
Colombian emigrants to the United States
John F. Kennedy High School (Paterson, New Jersey) alumni
Sportspeople from Paterson, New Jersey
Association football forwards
Albany Capitals players
A-League (1995–2004) players
Soccer players from New Jersey
American Professional Soccer League players
American Soccer League (1988–89) players
American expatriate soccer players
Dallas Sidekicks (original MISL) players
Deportivo Cali footballers
Hispanic and Latino American sportspeople
LIU Sharks men's soccer players
Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players
New Jersey Eagles players
New York Fever players
Penn-Jersey Spirit players
United States men's international soccer players
USL Second Division players
Living people
American soccer players