September 5, 2012
U17 CALL
FC Dallas' Kellyn Acosta joins national team

FRISCO, Texas– FC Dallas’ seventh Homegrown player, midfielder Kellyn Acosta was one of 20 players chosen to represent the U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team by head coach Javier Perez.

Acosta will depart Thursday for an 11-day training camp in Mill, Netherlands. The U-18 MNT camp is scheduled to run through Sept. 17 and will include an international friendly against the Netherlands U-18 team on Sept. 11 in Groesbeek, Netherlands.

Perez’s squad is also scheduled to play friendly matches against U-18 club teams representing Feyenoord Rotterdam, Borussia Dortmund and Club Brugge during the week.

Including Marco Delgado (Chivas USA) and Zach Pfeffer (Philadelphia Union), Acosta is one of three U.S. U-18 players to have signed professional contracts with Major League Soccer teams.


A former member of the U.S. U-15 and U-17 National Teams, Acosta most recently appeared in the Lisbon International Tournament under Perez. There, Acosta saw 135 minutes of action for the U.S. U-18 squad, which went 0-1-2 against Poland, Slovakia and Portugal.

During the 2011-12 FC Dallas Development Academy season, Acosta started 27 of the 28 games he played for the U-16 team. He scored nine times for the 12-4-8 side, which advanced to U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy Playoffs.

Acosta also played up with FC Dallas’ U-18 team, logging a total of 907 minutes during the regular season. The team went 20-3-1 during the regular season and was 3-0-0 in U.S.S.D.A. Playoffs. The team advanced to the U.S.S.D.A. Championship after going 2-0-1 during Finals Week in Houston, Texas, and was crowned national champions on Sunday, July 22, after defeating Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 3-2.

In MLS Reserve League action, Acosta logged 90 minutes in a 3-2 loss to the Houston Dynamo Reserves on June 16. The young midfielder netted a goal in the 31st minute of that match. The goal was assisted by fellow Homegrown player Moises Hernandez.


U.S. U-18 MNT Roster By Position:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Ethan Horvath (Unattached; Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Zackary Steffen (Maryland; Downington, Pa.).

DEFENDERS (5): Michael Amick (De Anza Force; Sunnyvale, Calif.), Suliaman Dainkeh (DC United Academy; Reston, Va.), Dylan Greenberg (Albertson SC; Dix Hills, N.Y.), Trevor Haberkorn (Solar Chelsea SC; Roanoke, Texas), Jalen Markey (Seattle Sounders FC Academy; Renton, Wash.).


MIDFIELDERS (6): Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas; Plano, Texas), Marco Delgado (CD Chivas USA; Glendora, Calif.), Romain Gall (FC Lorient; Herndon, Va.), Jacori Hayes (Baltimore Bays; Bowie, Md.), Piakai Henkel (Amiens FC; Arcata, Calif.), Kristian Scott (Stoke City, Winterbourne, England).

FORWARDS (7): Jordan Allen (Real Salt Lake Arizona; Rochester, N.Y.), Paul Arriola (LA Galaxy; Chula Vista, Calif.), Julian Green (Bayern Munich; Tampa, Fla.), Benjamin Lopez (Real Salt Lake Arizona; San Diego, Calif.), Zach Pfeffer (Philadelphia Union; Dresher, Pa.), Ben Spencer Jr. (CD Chivas USA; Albuquerque, N.M.), Travis Wannemuehler (Indiana Fire Academy; Evansville, Ind.)