Homecoming ‘a blessing’ for Acosta

South Florida native ‘extremely proud’ to represent hometown club

When Inter Miami CF signed George Acosta — the club’s lone South Florida native on the roster — it marked a day Acosta dreamed about since he heard about the possibility of a Major League coming to the

Soccer area.

He remembers reading a story a couple of years ago about how David Beckham, Inter Miami’s owner and president of soccer operations, wanted to bring an MLS team to Miami, and told himself he would love to play for a team based in his hometown. team

And in September 2019, that dream became a reality when Inter Miami inked him to a deal.

“I feel extremely proud to represent the first MLS team [in South Florida] in many years,” Acosta said. “It’s a blessing.”

And as a South Florida native, he’s been encouraged by not only Inter Miami’s presence in the youth soccer landscape with their academy team but also the growth of academies locally.

Paris Saint-Germain, which is arguably the most successful professional soccer club in France, opened its academy at Central Broward Stadium in February.

World-renowned soccer clubs Juventus FC and Everton FC announced partnerships with local development programs in lateMay.

MLS added 65 former U.S. Soccer Development Academy clubs, including Weston FC — where Acosta played at — to its development program in addition to two other South

Florida youth soccer clubs.

“I’ve always said — and most South Floridians know — how much talent there is in South Florida,” Acosta said, telling MLSsoccer.com last month that South Florida could have the best youth soccer talent in the country. “Academies coming down to South Florida and giving a stage for these young players to develop and show what they’re made of is really good for competition and the talent in the future.”

Acosta’s time with Weston was limited as he took a more unconventional route for U.S. youth soccer players, moving to Argentina to play for Estudiantes de la Plata’s academy team before signing with Boca Juniors and playing for their reserve team.

Acosta remembers not only the difficulties of missing out on holidays and celebrations with his family while he was abroad, but also feeling like he had a target on his back as the only U.S.-born player on his team.

“Moving away from home at such a young age was definitely difficult and it had its troubles at times,” Acosta said, “but that’s the sacrifice you have to be willing to make if you want to pay off in the end.

“It changes you. It gives you a lot of character and makes you strong.”

Acosta recalled receiving a cold reception from one of his teammates as one of the most memorable moments from his time away.

“One of my teammates, him and I kind of bumped heads a lot,” Acosta said. “He would nag at me and tried to injure me during practice.

“One time we were playing a game and he was picking at me. I thought it was a bit biased. Towards the end of the game, I gave the assist to the winning goal. Afterward, he grabbed me and started screaming in my face how much he loved me. It was just crazy to see how quickly his attitude towards me changed because of that goal.”

While he said he doesn’t regret his decisions and believes he made the right choices at the time, he acknowledged that he might’ve stayed in the U.S. if he started his youth soccer career today.

“Thinking about it now, if I’m a young player coming up, there are a lot of opportunities in the U.S.,” Acosta said. “I maybe would’ve stayed.”

Acosta and Inter Miami are turning their attention to starting full-team training soon and preparing for the tournament MLS plans to host at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando in July.

He said he relates to the fans who are anxious for the team to play again after waiting nearly 18 years for an MLS team to return to the area.

“I would tell them and these rough times, to stay strong, safe and healthy,” Acosta said about what he’d tell fans who’ve been waiting for their return to the field. “We’ll be out there soon and hoping they support us. I think it’ll bring together a lot of people especially after these tough times.”