Kellyn Kai Perry-Acosta (born July 24, 1995) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC and the United States national team.

Early life

Acosta was raised in

Plano, Texas Plano ( ) is a city in Collin County and Denton County, Texas, United States. It had a population of 285,494 at the 2020 census. It is a principal city of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. History European settlers came to the area near ...

. His father is Japanese American while his mother is African American. Acosta's paternal grandmother is Japanese, and the surname Acosta comes from his Mexican paternal step-father. Plano was an overwhelmingly white city when he was growing up. In his predominantly white neighborhood, Acosta said in 2022 he long tried to hide any evidence of his Japanese roots in order to blend in to avoid bullying or any confused stares at his multiethnic family. “I wanted to fit in so bad there were times my Asian grandma would have to pick me up and park around the corner,” he told

NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's var ...

. “It was so puzzling for some and I kind of got made fun of for it.”

Club career

FC Dallas

Acosta played for the FC Dallas Development Academy and was committed to play soccer at the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

prior to becoming a homegrown signing in July 2012 (although he was not eligible for selection until the 2013 season). He did make three MLS Reserve League appearances. He was named U.S. Soccer Development Academy Central Conference Player of the Year in 2011–12. Acosta made his first-team debut in a 3–0 loss at

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

in August 2013. He made nine consecutive starts from August to October of that season. His 2014 season was interrupted by a knee injury. He initially played fullback for the club, but eventually transitioned to a starting role as a defensive midfielder in 2015.

Colorado Rapids

On July 23, 2018, Acosta was traded to the

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, lat ...

in exchange for Dominique Badji. Acosta started all 12 league matches after joining Colorado, scoring two goals and adding three assists in Burgundy. On February 20, 2019, Acosta signed a three-year contract extension keeping him in Colorado through 2021, with club options for 2022 and 2023. Acosta enjoyed similar success in 2019, making 30 MLS starts and playing 2,619 minutes, both career highs, while adding two goals and two assists. In a pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, Acosta scored two goals and added one assist as he made 14 starts among 15 league appearances. Acosta scored Colorado's playoff-clinching goal in a 1–0 win at Portland Timbers on Nov. 4. Acosta started and played 81 minutes in Colorado's MLS Cup Playoff first-round loss to Minnesota United FC.

Los Angeles FC

On January 14, 2022, Acosta was acquired by Los Angeles FC from the Colorado Rapids in exchange for $1.1 million in General Allocation Money ($550k GAM in 2022 and $550k GAM in 2023). The Rapids would retain a portion of any sale should Acosta be sold elsewhere. Additionally, if certain performance based metrics are met, Colorado will receive an additional $400k GAM.

International career

Acosta was born in the United States to a Japanese father, and an African American Puerto Rican mother, and was eligible for Japan or the United States. After having played in the

2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup The 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the fourteenth tournament of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, and the eleventh played since the change in age limits from under 16s to Under 17s in 1991 FIFA U-17 World Championship, 1991. It was held in Mexico with games ...

, Acosta became the youngest member of the U.S. squad at the

2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the nineteenth edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, since its inception in 1977 as the FIFA World Youth Championship. It ran from 21 June to 13 July 2013. At the FIFA Executive Meeting in Zürich on 3 March 2011, ...

. He was also part of the squad two years later at the

2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the twentieth edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup since its inception in 1977 as the FIFA World Youth Championship. The competition took place for the first time in New Zealand, the third time on Oceanian soil after ...

. Acosta made his senior international debut for the United States in a friendly versus

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

on January 31, 2016. Acosta scored his first senior international goal in a 2–1 friendly win over

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

on July 1, 2017, curling a direct free kick into the bottom corner for the eventual game-winner. He was selected to the U.S. squad for the

2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 14th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's soccer championship of the North, Central American and Caribbean region organized by CONCACAF, and 24th CONCACAF regional championship ove ...

, which the U.S. would go on to win. Acosta appeared in five of six games, including all three knock-out matches. Acosta made six appearances in international friendlies in 2018, scoring against Colombia on Oct. 12 and assisting Josh Sargent's goal against

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

on Oct. 16. Following an almost 24 month absence from national team duty, Acosta was selected for a December 2020 camp on November 30, 2020, alongside fellow Rapids teammates

Cole Bassett Cole John Bassett (born July 28, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Colorado Rapids. Club career Born in Littleton, Colorado, Bassett joined the Colorado Rapids academy in ...

and Sam Vines. Acosta replaced

Sebastian Lletget Sebastian Francisco Lletget (born September 3, 1992) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club FC Dallas. Early years Born in San Francisco, California, to Argentine parents, Lletget gr ...

in the 68th minute of a 6–0 friendly win over El Salvador on Dec 9 at Inter Miami CF Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Acosta was called up again in January 2021 alongside Rapids teammates Vines and Jonathan Lewis, playing 90 minutes and assisting on Lewis' second goal in a 7–0 friendly win over

Trinidad & Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of Gr ...

Exploria Stadium Exploria Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium in downtown Orlando, Florida. The stadium is located along West Church Street in the Parramore neighborhood west of Downtown Orlando. It is the home of Orlando City SC, which entered Major League ...

in Orlando, Fla., on Jan. 31. During the 2021 calendar year, Acosta appeared in 21 out of a possible 22 matches for the United States becoming the first player to do so since 1994. Acosta was a key member for

2022 World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup is an international football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. The 22nd FIFA World Cup is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022; it is the first ...

qualification, playing both central and defensive midfield. Acosta jointly led the USMNT along with

Tyler Adams Tyler Shaan Adams (born February 14, 1999) is an American professional soccer player who plays for Premier League club Leeds United and captains the United States national team. Primarily a midfielder, Adams is capable of playing as a fullba ...

and

Antonee Robinson Antonee Robinson (born August 8, 1997), nicknamed Jedi, is a professional soccer player who plays as a left-back for Premier League club Fulham and the United States national team. Youth soccer Born in Milton Keynes, England, Robinson came ...

with 13 appearances out of a possible 14 qualifiers. Acosta made the final World Cup squad, becoming the first Asian American man to appear for the United States in a World Cup, playing in matches against

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. Acosta captained the US in a January 2023 friendly against Colombia, playing 90 minutes in a scoreless draw.

Career statistics

Club

International

''Scores and results list United States' goal tally first.''

Honors

FC Dallas * Supporters' Shield:

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

* U.S. Open Cup:

Los Angeles FC *

MLS Cup The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conferen ...

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

* Supporters' Shield:

United States U17 *

CONCACAF U-17 Championship The CONCACAF U-17 Championship is an international association football event in the North America, Central America and the Caribbean region, and is the qualification tournament for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Results In 2009 the tournament returned ...

: 2011 United States *

CONCACAF Gold Cup The CONCACAF Gold Cup ( es, Copa de Oro de la CONCACAF, french: Coupe D'or CONCACAF) is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the continental champion of North Ameri ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

CONCACAF Nations League The CONCACAF Nations League ( es, Liga de Naciones CONCACAF, french: Ligue des Nations de la CONCACAF) is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of CONCACAF, the ...

: 2019–20

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Acosta, Kellyn Living people 1995 births American soccer players African-American soccer players American sportspeople of Japanese descent Soccer players from Texas Sportspeople from Plano, Texas Association football midfielders FC Dallas players Colorado Rapids players Los Angeles FC players Major League Soccer players United States men's youth international soccer players United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's under-23 international soccer players United States men's international soccer players 2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship players 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2022 FIFA World Cup players CONCACAF Gold Cup-winning players Major League Soccer All-Stars Homegrown Players (MLS) 21st-century African-American sportspeople