Fire sign USMNT midfielder Kellyn Acosta

U.S. men's national team veteran Kellyn Acosta is headed to the fourth Major League Soccer team of his career, as the free agent midfielder signed a contract with the Chicago Fire on Tuesday.

Acosta, 28, spent the past two seasons with Los Angeles FC. He scored the opening goal in LAFC's victory over the Philadelphia Union in the 2022 MLS Cup final.

"We're very pleased that Kellyn has joined the Club, as he was our primary target in free agency in the offseason," Fire sporting director Georg Heitz said in a statement. "We wanted to add a well-rounded central midfielder with strong leadership qualities and a track record of success. Kellyn has won trophies with multiple clubs and has been a great ambassador for the League while representing the U.S. Men's National Team, including most recently at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

"Kellyn choosing the Fire at this stage of his career shows that he fully believes in our vision to build a Club that is one of the top teams in MLS and has a deep connection with the local community."

Acosta came through the FC Dallas academy and made 117 appearances for the first team from 2013-18. He subsequently played for the Colorado Rapids (2018-21) before joining LAFC.

In 252 career MLS regular-season games (212 starts), he has 18 goals and 25 assists. Acosta has just the one goal in 16 postseason games (14 starts).

Acosta debuted for the U.S. men's national team in 2016. He was part of the 2021 squads that won the CONCACAF Nations League and the CONCACAF Gold Cup, then made two appearances for the national team in the 2022 World Cup at Qatar.

He has two goals in 58 appearances for the U.S. team.