No player has enjoyed a better 2023 season in Major League Soccer than Lucho Acosta. The 29-year-old has been the driving force behind an FC Cincinnati team that won the Supporters’ Shield and are widely considered one of the frontrunners to go the distance in the playoffs. He could soon be a US Men’s National Team player too.
Reports earlier in the year claimed Acosta is close to US citizenship which means he could represent his adopted homeland at international level. This would open up an interesting opportunity for Gregg Berhalter who could certainly use a natural playmaker like Acosta in this USMNT squad.
The USMNT have a lot of quality in midfield. It is the strongest area of their team with the MMA unit of Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah established at the top level of both the club and international game. Berhalter has stuck with a 4-3-3 formation for the majority of his time in charge and it’s difficult to envisage how Acosta could disrupt this unit.
Between now and the start of the 2026 World Cup on home soil, though, Berhalter must experiment with a number of different ideas and tactics to get the most out of the group of players he has. This is where Acosta could be useful as someone who can provide creativity and goal threat in between the lines.
Of course, Berhalter already has Gio Reyna who can perform this role. The Borussia Dortmund midfielder back in the USMNT fold after the scandal involving his family earlier in the year. Reyna, however, can play in a wide position. He can also play as part of the central midfield trio. Acosta is a pure number 10.
Acosta is an incredible dribbler, as he demonstrated with a sensational solo effort against Charlotte FC in September. He is also an exceptional finisher, as he showcased numerous times over the course of the season for Cincy. This could give the USMNT a sharper cutting edge in front of goal.
As good as Acosta has been for FC Cincinnati this season, it’s difficult to envisage him ever being a central pillar of the USMNT. Berhalter has elite level talents playing at the top of the European game which says something about how the USMNT programme has grown stronger over recent years. The likes of Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun and Timothy Weah are difference makers at the very top.
Nonetheless, the US needs a strong squad to compete at major tournaments. Injuries and suspensions happen and Berhalter will need to react. He needs several options in every position across the pitch and Acosta would help in this regard. He would also give Berhalter a decent degree of tactical flexibility.
It’s not just that Acosta is a good player, he has grown as something of a leader at Cincy. At 29, the Buenos Aires-born midfielder is at the peak of his powers and that in itself would bring a different quality to a squad that is still growing and developing. This would bring some balance to Berhalter’s group.
“How you communicate to your teammates in big moments – that was something that was new to him,” explained FC Cincinnati boss Pat Noonan when asked about Acosta as a leader. “I just think he’s become more comfortable in that role. I think he understands as the captain of the team, too, and knowing that he can play the game at such a high level, all his teammates aren’t able to do that consistently.
“So where there might have been frustration early now, it’s being more patient and being more understanding, and then understanding how to pull guys aside. Or even in the heat of the moment, send a better message to get more out of his teammates.”
There is a long runway for the USMNT to take flight before the 2026 World Cup, but next summer’s Copa American means Berhalter must start settling on a blueprint for his team in the coming months. A lot of time has been wasted since the last World Cup in Qatar and so these next few matches – starting with the double header against Trinidad and Tobago – have real importance attached to them.
Acosta must secure US citizenship before he can officially become an option for the USMNT, but Berhalter would be wise to scope out the Cincy playmaker – if he hasn’t already done so. The USMNT could do with some of the magic that has made FC Cincinnati so successful in MLS this season.
