After a Lifetime of Hard Work, ‘A Moment Like This’ Makes It All Worth It for Luciano Acosta, But he Isn’t Finished Yet

November 28, 2023 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – FC Cincinnati News Release

Like his teammate and gaffer, Luciano Acosta learned of his newest award from a bit of deception. After sitting with the FC Cincinnati content team to review his 2023 MLS Goal of the Year on camera, the Acosta family surprised The Orange and Blue captain and presented him with an FCC kit that read “2023 MLS MVP, ACOSTA” on the back with his number 10 emblazoned in the middle.

While not a stranger to showing his emotions, the moment got to Acosta as he embraced his daughter and son before teammates and coaches emerged to chant “MVP” his way in the crowded room. It was a tender moment that he deserved for the pain, struggle and perseverance he experienced in his time in Cincinnati, and all the times before that.

“The first thought that came to my head was thinking about my son, who was one year old (when we came to Cincinnati),” Acosta said, remembering the moment he saw the MLS MVP Trophy with his name engraved on it. “‘Where are we going to get him milk? Where are we going to get food? How am I going to talk to someone who doesn’t understand me?’ Those were the thoughts that kind of came flooding to my head. Thinking about those things when I first came to this country, and how hard that was.

“All those memories are reflected in that trophy. When I see that trophy, I see my reflection and all those memories come flooding back, and this is a trophy for memories.”

The 2023 Landon Donovan MLS MVP has seen the peaks and valleys of success with FC Cincinnati. In 2021, his first season with the club, he was named captain for the first time in his professional career, but The Orange and Blue finished bottom of the table. Fast forward to todayBut now, with the weight of the world on his shoulders like the mythic tale of the titan Atlas, Acosta led his team to the Supporters’ Shield and earned MLS MVP just two years after that basement finish.

“All the times when I was too small, when I wasn’t good enough, a moment like this makes it all worth it,” the MVP said in a speech at the event held in his honor Monday at TQL Stadium.

“When I first arrived here, the moment I arrived, there was something special about the city. I felt at home from the moment I arrived here … even in moments when at this club, it felt impossible that we’ve become this great. But now, I’m sitting here with this MVP trophy, we’ve got the Supporters’ Shield, and I look over to my left I see my family, and the family…