Born and raised in Plano, Texas, Acosta spent nine years at FC Dallas, going from their academy to the first team and helping them win the U.S. Open Cup and Supporters' Shield in 2016. He then made the move to Colorado Rapids, where he led them from the bottom of MLS to finishing atop the Western Conference, before joining LAFC.
Acosta proved instrumental in midfield as LAFC won the Supporters' Shield before claiming the ultimate prize in American soccer: the 2022 MLS Cup. He hasn't just thrived at the club level, but the international level, making 58 appearances (including two in the 2022 FIFA World Cup) for the US Men's National Team.
After the end of the 2023 campaign, Acosta left Los Angeles for Chicago, joining on a free transfer. It didn't take long for Acosta to make a name for himself in the Windy City, scoring 3 goals and 2 assists in 36 appearances and wearing the captain's armband on various occasions.
But with the Fire missing out on a playoff spot, Chicago made a change at the coaching position and hired veteran American coach Gregg Berhalter.
Kellyn Acosta will fight for an increased Chicaco Fire role
Having brought Acosta back into the fold and reenergized his national team career after a two-year absence, all signs pointed to Berhalter taking Acosta to a new level with Chicago and allowing him to push for his first national team call-up since April 2023.
Acosta began the 2025 season as a starter in midfield as well as the captain before being dropped from the XI in May. He did manage to play the full 90 in U.S. Open Cup matches vs. Detroit City and New England Revolution before lasting the entirety of a 7-1 win vs. D.C. United on June 7.
Little did he know it, but that would be his last start of 2025. Acosta remained on the bench in four of the final six regular-season matches of the season, and after coming on for the final four minutes of their wild-card win vs. Orlando City, the 30-year-old midfielder was an unused substitute in both of Chicago's playoff defeats to Philadelphia Union.
For the first time in his illustrious career, Kellyn Acosta finds himself on the outside looking in, starved of regular playing time and unable to showcase his prodigious talents for Chicago, where he is contracted through 2026 (Chicago have a club option for 2027). Can he bounce back next season and find his way back into Berhalter's options? Don't bet against it.