Acosta relishes chance to shine for United States
TAMPA, Fla. — Kellyn Acosta is young, talented and eager to make the most of another opportunity to shine on the international soccer stage.
The U.S. faces Martinique in its second match of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, with Acosta and teammates hoping to make amends Wednesday night for a subpar performance in last weekend’s 1-1 tie against Panama.
The 21-year-old midfielder who played all 90 minutes of the opener in Nashville, Tennessee, was especially critical of his own play on Twitter. He’s confident the team will play better in the North and Central American and Caribbean championship.
“I was a little upset about how I played individually and, obviously, collectively as a team. I thought we expected more out of ourselves,” Acosta said Tuesday before practice at the University of South Florida.
“But sometimes that’s how the game goes,” he added. “It’s a long tournament. We still have two more games to kind of just get back on track and get back to things we’re good at. That’s the beauty of it. We have two more opportunities to bounce back.”
The U.S., which failed to protect a lead in its opening match, concludes group play Saturday against Nicaragua in Cleveland.
The top two teams in each of three groups automatically advance to the quarterfinals, where they’ll be joined by the two best thirdplace finishers.
Martinique, facing the Americans for just the second time, leads Group B after beating Nicaragua 2-0 in Nashville.
“The guys are really positive about going out and getting the result we need,” said Acosta, a rising Major League Soccer star with FC Dallas.
“Martinique is sitting at the top of the table, so … it’s imperative that we get the
three points,” the native of Plano, Texas, added. “We can’t settle for anything less.”
Acosta, who turns 22 on July 24, scored his first international goal against Ghana in an exhibition July 1. He’s gradually played his way into a bigger role with the national team since Bruce Arena returned for a second stint as coach, replacing Jurgen Klinsmann.
“I’m just trying to be consistent, comfortable in my spot. I think, the more games I play the more comfortable I feel,” Acosta said. “Obviously, Bruce has given me some extra responsibilities here with the team, and I’m excited to do so.”
Arena has promised adjustments, including some lineup changes, though not solely because of the team’s performance against Panama, which rallied from a 1-0 deficit after Dom Dwyer gave the U.S. a short-lived lead.