Kellyn Acosta Embracing Change in Chicago, Ready for a Positive Result

The results haven’t been what Kellyn Acosta wanted when he signed with the Chicago Fire in the offseason.

The MLS veteran’s side has only won one of six contests since he joined Chicago in February. That win, of course, came from a miraculous goal off the foot of Acosta a few weeks ago when the Fire hosted Montreal.

Acosta is finally starting to settle into his new life here in Chicago as he’s moved out of his hotel digs into a new place and can finally start unboxing his well-renowned closet. For now, the United States Men’s National Team regular is enjoying the process of being in a new place while having soccer to keep him busy.

“Yeah, it means a lot of new and new is good, right?” Acosta told On Tap Sports Net. “Change is good, you know, I'm happy to be here. Despite the weather changes, you get all the seasons within a day, pretty much or in a week. From snow to rain to sunshine.

“No, it's been good thus far. I mean, obviously, you know, suddenly in a new city, I mean, obviously there's difficulties in that, but I've been enjoying it and embracing it, getting to know my team a little bit more.”

Though he’s only been with the club for a few months, the 28-year-old is already embracing his role within the club as a whole. He’s been encouraged by the performances from Chicago Fire II in MLS Next Pro and the U.S. Open Cup, which have been buoyed by many players who have spent time training with Acosta and the first team.

“What they're doing, you know, with the second team coming [to train] with the first team as well, it's been great to see. Just highlighting their accomplishments because it's a collective unit and those are the guys that are keen and on our footsteps. Being here and letting them know we're all proud of them, looking after them and that they’re doing a great job not even just in MLS Next Pro but also in the Open Cup.”

Acosta was that hyper-excited prospect when he was a teenager with FC Dallas and is using those insights to help ingratiate each new player into first-team training with the Fire.

“I was already training with the first team when I was like 14, 15 to last. And yeah, I was just like the young kid and I was just like let me just join with you guys, right? No, I think it's important. I think it's, you know, obviously when you come into a new group in your, you know, guys you looked up to and it's uncomfortable.

“It's just trying to make the building comfortable and you know, bring out their best qualities and then just help them along the way help them progress and hopefully like I said, hopefully they're gonna be first-team players and help us cause we're gonna need all of them."

Only six games into the MLS season, the 2022 MLS Cup winner isn’t content with the team’s poor showings thus far.

“We have expectations and goals as a team and I think in this past week we know what we can accomplish and it hasn’t been good enough. And that's just the fact of the matter, to be fully transparent. And the beauty in the game is there's another game for us.

“We have another opportunity this week against a good Houston side. And for us, it's a moment where we're at home. We have a stretch of five games, I think four of the five are at home, so that's definitely crucial. We're going to be a team that's tough to play against. And home games in this league, as we all know, are very important. So it's for us that we need a strong result, and this weekend is hopefully the start of it.”

Houston enters Saturday's match with three wins despite only scoring six goals in MLS competition. Acosta knows nothing will come easily against Chicago’s Western Conference foes, and the Fire’s mentality from kickoff will be crucial.

“For us it's super important to stay positive, work hard and be competitive. Who cares if it's ugly? you've got to roll up the sleeves and grind and sometimes you just grind out results. Tomorrow, it'll be a tough game, but we have to find a way to win. That's all it is.”

What’s On Tap Next?

Who: Chicago Fire vs. Houston Dynamo

Where: Soldier Field; Chicago, Illinois

When: Saturday, April 6 at 7:30 PM CT

How to Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+