FC Cincinnati General Manager Chris Albright spoke publicly for the first time Tuesday on end-of-season comments made by club captain Luciano Acosta last month.
Following The FC’s game three loss to New York City FC in the first round, Acosta – who was named to the Best XI for 2024 – said it “may be the end” for him at the club, where he’s played over 150 matches
“Maybe it is the end for me at this club,” Acosta said after the match through an interpreter. “We’ll have to talk with everyone about what the future might hold but, obviously, I’ve given everything for this club.”
Acosta did not appear at the team’s end-of-year media availability, leaving his comments hanging for fans to speculate on.
Tuesday, the club, through Albright, spoke on Acosta’s comments for the first time.
“It needs to be recognized that he won Best XI again, today. To do that three years in a row is an incredible honor. For him to be representing FC Cincinnati doing that, we’re super proud of. He’s clearly the best player to ever play at FC Cincinnati and probably one of the best players to ever play in our league,” Albright said before diving into the meat of Acosta’s comments regarding his future with the club.
“The comments after the game, I’m well aware of. I think emotions are running high. I think everyone in that building, certainly in our locker room, is frustrated. Lucho had a difficult year in some ways, out side of the incredible production. Between injuries and things that he’s spoken about. We continued to support him, like we do all of our players, on and off the field, and we’ll continue to do that.”
Despite finishing with the third-most goal contributions in the league (33) and leading MLS in assists (16), Acosta fell out of form after the Leagues Cup, tallying just three goal contributions (two goals, one assist) in the season’s final eight matches
As far as his future with FC Cincinnati, those conversations are still on going,” Albright said. “We want to do what’s best for us, but make sure he and his family are in a good place and comfortable. [I have a] tremendous amount of respect for him as a player, as a person. We’re in good discussions with him and his reps about what that looks like going forward.
Acosta is under contract with the club through the 2026 season after signing an extension with the team last September.
After announcing their end-of-year roster decisions for the 2025 season on Monday, Acosta remained on Cincinnati’s official roster presented by the club.
“He’s clearly a big part of what we do. He’s an incredible player, he’s an MVP in our league. We’ve delt with difficult conversations in the past and we’ll deal with this in the same way.”
Acosta himself has continued to fan some of the flames his comments stoked, doing Spanish-language interviews talking about his desire to return to Boca Juniors, the club he played for in his first year as a professional, and has posted photos to social media from outside Boca’s stadium.
“Boca is his boyhood club. If anybody has ever seen a game at La Bombonera, it’s a different thing. For him to have passion about Boca Juniors is understandable,” Albright said when asked if Acosta’s further comments would cause any trouble within The FC’s playing group. “We have a really strong group, a lot of strong personalities, strong character throughout our coaching staff and all the way through. We’ve delt with things in the past – some public, some we keep private – that we feel comfortable we can absorb this.
“Should Lucho be here next year, we’ll continue to build around him and try to have the success that we’ve had.”
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