The 57th-minute strike made Acosta the seventh player in MLS history to register 60 goals and 80 assists all-time – a list that includes the namesake of his 2023 Landon Donovan MLS MVP award.
MLS players with 60+ goals and 80+ assists
|
PLAYER |
GOALS |
ASSISTS |
|---|---|---|
|
Landon Donovan |
145 |
136 |
|
Jamie Moreno |
133 |
102 |
|
Diego Valeri |
86 |
91 |
|
Preki |
79 |
112 |
|
Steve Ralston |
76 |
135 |
|
Cobi Jones |
70 |
91 |
|
Luciano Acosta |
60 |
80 |
What’s more, Acosta’s accomplishment came in his 200th MLS regular-season start. The Argentine No. 10 played for D.C. United from 2016-19 before returning to MLS in 2021 with Cincy.
Acosta is also the fourth-fastest player to join the 60g/80a club, doing so in 224 matches. Preki did it the fastest, only needing 174 matches.
Major milestone
So, what does it all mean? Take it from FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan, who played in the league for nearly a decade.
“That just speaks to the consistency that he’s had to reach those numbers,” said Noonan. “The guys on that list are some of the best this league has ever seen, and I think Lucho is rightfully in that group of the best who’ve ever played in our league. Hopefully, we can continue seeing that production as we move forward together.”
Acosta wasn’t aware of the history he was approaching heading into Matchday 6, making his learning of the stat all the sweeter amid the celebrations at TQL Stadium.
“Well, I’m very surprised,” said the 29-year-old. “But I’m very happy to be in this list”
The moment is another box ticked from Acosta’s mission statement when he committed to FC Cincinnati for the long haul.
“When I got here, I said I wanted to build history with this club and now we’ve built the foundation,” Acosta said in Spanish before finishing the thought in English. “I’m very happy to create stories like this for this club.”
English