It’s been anything but a normal run recently for everyone involved at the United States Men’s National Team.
Gregg Berhalter’s reign had some incredible peaks and valleys but the program is setting its sights on a higher standard going forward with new USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino, who was officially hired by U.S. Soccer this week.
Kellyn Acosta, who has been in the USMNT senior team fold since 2016, is excited that U.S. Soccer brought in someone who demands a high standard for the program, particularly after their poor results in the most recent international window under interim head coach Mikey Varas.
“It's exciting for everyone,” Acosta told On Tap Sports Net. “I know everyone was keen on seeing who the new coach should be. And getting someone in the likes of [Pochettino], I think it's huge for the program.
“I'm just hoping that we can get back on the right foot. These last two friendlies probably weren't our best. Losing to Canada and tying New Zealand, maybe it was a fluke goal, maybe not. I think the upcoming friendlies are going to be huge and hopefully a step in the right direction.”
There are no USMNT roster spot guarantees for Acosta under new management and he knows he has a large task ahead of him if he wants to be in the squad with Pochettino in charge.
“For me, it's a clean slate. [Pochettino] is a guy that probably is not completely familiar with me. But it's about me just performing week in and week out here and hopefully getting some eyes back on me and then trying to get back in the fold. It's obviously going to be a mountain to climb but I’ll take it step by step.”
Pochettino held his introductory press conference on Friday morning and preached the need for the men’s program to aspire to be like the United States Women’s National Team, one of the standard bearers in the international game. Acosta appreciates that level of ambition.
“I think that's a testament to his character. He's a guy that wants to win, a guy that's coached the world's best and been at the biggest clubs. I know his standards are very high, just like ourselves. He's a guy that's very demanding, who’s going to push us and want us to be better.
"Obviously we got some catching up to do. The [USWNT] just won the Olympics and winning World Cups and all the other things. Emma Hayes has done a tremendous job with the group that she has now. It's up to us to push our program forward and take that next step. Hopefully, with Poch at the helm, that could be a step in the right direction for all of us.”
September has been a month filled with announcements for Acosta on and off the pitch. Not only does he have a new national team head coach that he’s trying to impress but the midfielder is now one of the faces of Lotto Sport’s foray into the North American market.
For someone who loves soccer and fashion, this partnership is exactly the type of project Acosta wanted to be a part of at this point in his career.
“It’s a huge honor. Lotto is a brand that's been around since the ‘70’s, so it was a brand that's been built for decades on end. And to have the opportunity to collaborate and partner with them was a no-brainer. It was one of my first boots growing up, just the craftsmanship and everything about the brand, what they stand for. For me, it's just like I said, [it was a] no-brainer, and I was excited for the opportunity. I know in the future it is going to be great.”
“Hopefully down the line, you'll start seeing some stuff from me as well.”
Acosta was heavily influenced as a young soccer player by the design of Ronaldinho’s Nike Tiempo boot and the innovation that David Beckham brought with the fold that had a flap. He will now have the opportunity to influence the boot market just as those did in the previous generations.
“That's the goal to, in the future, have something that's mine. So we're in the process of doing stuff already for myself. But we'll see. I'm signed with them for a bit, so I’m excited for the future.
Fellow American professional soccer players Tim Parker and Sofia Huerta already signed on with Lotto and Acosta is excited to try and expand a brand that has presented him with a platform. It simply was an opportunity the 29-year-old couldn’t say no to.
“It's something as a kid you dream of, right?”
Acosta’s partnership with Lotto isn’t the only current project he’s excited about. The Kellyn Acosta Foundation and the Chicago Fire partnered up for a back-to-school book drive , a project that Acosta values strongly.
The Fire’s midfielder hasn’t taken the traditional education path. He eschewed an offer to play collegiately at the University of Maryland in order to sign with FC Dallas and became, according to him, the first player in MLS to take classes through Southern New Hampshire University. This weekend will mark the beginning of a Harvard University business course he is taking to continue his education.
“School is super important. Only 1%, maybe less, become professional athletes so it's important to preach literacy amongst youth. We want better communities, better individuals, and what better ways to do so than reading?”
Everyone has their apps on their mobile devices that they come back to more times in a day than they’d like to admit and that’s part of why Acosta wants to emphasize the need for other types of activities to exercise the brain.
“We're in a big social media age and hopefully we can start venturing away from that. Because it's somewhat rotting our brains, in a sense. You go from Instagram to TikTok to Twitter and then it's just a repeating cycle.
"So it's about breaking that and showcasing other things that are interesting. Books are amazing in their own sense and hopefully we can have more readers out there.”
The desire to spend time reading has only increased for Acosta since he became a father. He loves reading with his six-year-old son Emerson, the two really enjoy “Dragons Love Tacos,” and that time together has only emphasized the importance of books in Acosta’s life.
“I'm just glad that he's so eager to have that, part of his routine is a book before bed. It gets you to slow down and really appreciate the little things. I'm happy that he kind of brings that into my routine as well.”
On Tap Next: Chicago Fire vs. New York Red Bulls
Who: Chicago Fire vs. New York Red Bulls
When: September 14, 2024. 7:30 PM CT
Where: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
How to Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+
Follow @soccer_ontap on X for more Chicago Fire news and updates!
Local News
Comments / 0