Miami Native Acosta Shining After Challenging First Year

By Inter Miami CF

June 10^th, 2021

George Acosta was one of Inter Miami’s earliest signings, joining the Club in Sept. 2019, nearly six months before the team would even play its first game. His signing also represented a milestone for the Club, as Acosta became the first Miami native to sign for Inter Miami. But before the 2020 season could even begin, the midfielder suffered a knee injury that would keep him out of the team’s inaugural campaign. Now, Acosta is on the path back, starring for the Club’s USL League One affiliate Fort Lauderdale CF.

“I felt really proud to be the first Miami native to sign for the Club. I appreciated the Club putting faith in me and since then it’s been a long road with ups and downs. I’ve had struggles and I’ve had successes, but I’m just happy to be back on the field doing what I love and showcasing my talent,” said Acosta. “Every time I’m out on the field I know some old friend or a family member is watching me, so it’s a sensation I get that I have to defend the team’s crest for those people and represent the city well.”

Miami Native Acosta Shining After Challenging First Year

Thus far in 2021, Acosta has registered one goal and five assists in just 694 minutes of play. His assist tally places him first in USL League One, halfway to the league’s record total with 18 games remaining. His performances also earned him a place as a finalist for the League One Player of the Month for April / May and have earned him three Team of the Week selections.

“I feel like I’m always capable of this. I have a certain amount of rage in me that wants to show everyone that I can do what I can, that I can still do what I could do before my injury. Now that I’m back out there it’s just time to show that. This is just the beginning,” stated Acosta.

The path has been arduous, but with each passing day Acosta finds a little more comfort and a little more strength.

“It’s really exciting to be back playing after so long. At first it was a little bit difficult getting back into a rhythm, but after a couple games now I’m starting to get into the rhythm of things and I’m just really happy to be back out there,” he added.

Fort Lauderdale head coach Darren Powell sees this improvement on a daily basis. He stressed the importance of this continued growth and the impact it has on Acosta’s confidence, which in turn helps him play at a high level.

“George is obviously a very talented player that was coming back from a long-term injury. He’s starting to progress with each game,” said Powell. “We think with his performances getting stronger he’s gaining self-confidence, which is leading to better outcomes and creating more chances and opportunities for others. We are just excited to see him keep progressing.”

Playing for Fort Lauderdale has provided Acosta an opportunity to get his feet back under him, but also a chance to fill a new role as a leader of a young group and find out more about himself.

“It’s been an honor to help this team grow as a whole. Playing alongside these young guys I feel like somewhat of a role model, so I try to lead by example with everything that I do. Along the way it’s been a learning process for me as well. It’s a great experience for me to grow as a player and person.”

“George is a very determined player. He’s very self-critical and holds himself to such a high standard. He wants to always get the best version of himself and he’s on himself to do that,” added Powell.

As for what sets Acosta apart, Powell highlighted the midfielder’s passing prowess as a key attribute of his game.

“His passing ability is very good, that’s a talent he has, he continues to look to create opportunities for others. He has good vision and good execution on his passing, and he’s brave with it as well. I think that’s improving along with his decision making of when to play a longer pass and when to play a shorter pass. And the timing of those passes is improving as he gets to know his teammates and gets back into the groove of playing games,” said Powell.

Acosta, however, is singularly focused on development. The 21 year old knows that the better he gets, the more he can help his team.

“Everyone can always get better at what they do. My goal is to improve every day, staying consistent with what I do, keeping possession of the ball, defending better, attacking better, doing all the things I can to help the team,” said Acosta. “I just want to take my career as far as it can go.”

This sentiment was echoed by Powell, who noted that despite an injury setback a year ago, Acosta is on the right track.

“We think George just has to take each game and each day as it comes and look to improve. In soccer things can happen quickly or things can happen slowly. No one soccer journey is the same. What we want to see from George is to get better each training session and each game, which he’s currently on a good track of doing.”

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