After Luciano Acosta received a pass inside the box against the New York Red Bulls, he looked toward the middle of the box where Wayne Rooney was positioned to potentially receive a ball right in front of goal.
Red Bulls center back Aaron Long was left with a decision to make: interfere with Acosta’s path toward goal, or take away the opportunity for a centering pass to Rooney. Long chose to defend the pass and Acosta made him pay as he continued his dribble and chipped Luis Robles in the 87th minute of last Sunday's game.
Defenders now face that type of split-second decision whenever Acosta has possession, as his improved finishing ability, paired with his knack for racking up assists, has created the dilemma of choosing between cutting off Acosta's passing lanes or defending the net.
Acosta’s all-around skill was apparent in D.C. United’s 3-3 draw against the Red Bulls last weekend. On the Black-and-Red’s first goal, his feisty defensive effort forced a turnover in New York’s own half and he immediately turned to push the attack. The Argentine midfielder directed a perfectly-weighted pass between two Red Bulls defenders and to Paul Arriola for a one-time finish past Robles. Acosta followed up his assist with his cheeky chip, reaffirming his ability to both create for his teammates and for himself.
“It’s just what he’s been doing lately," head coach Ben Olsen said of Acosta. "He was the same handful throughout and now he’s added maturity to his game defensively. He’s obviously sparked a good relationship with Wayne [Rooney] and now he’s finishing out plays…whether that’s the final ball or scoring goals himself.”
With his assist to Arriola, the 24-year-old became just the third player in the club’s history to reach the 13-assist mark in a single season, joining the likes of D.C. United legends Marco Etcheverry and Jaime Moreno in the accomplishment. No United player has recorded 13 or more assists in a season since Moreno reached the mark in 2004.
Acosta has also tallied eight goals in 2018, matching his scoring output from his first two seasons in D.C. combined. With the addition of Rooney to the Black-and-Red attack, Acosta has scored seven times in 14 matches, after just one goal in United's first 14 matches of the year.
Now Acosta, who is tied for fifth on D.C. United’s all-time assist leaderboard with 29, pursues another milestone in the final six matches of the regular season. Needing just two more scores to reach the double-digit mark in goals for the year, Acosta has a chance to become the fifth player in the club’s history to notch 10 goals and 10 assists in a season. Should Acosta score twice more, he would join Etcheverry, Moreno, Christian Gomez, and Roy Lassiter as the only players in D.C. United’s 23-year history to post 10 goals and 10 assists, and would be the first player in 10 years to do so.
With a number of dangerous players on the attack who can both finish and create for others, the Black-and-Red have developed into a difficult team to defend against. Armed with dynamic players constantly forcing defenders to react to the possibility of a shot or key pass, United hope their well-rounded offense can lead them in to the postseason. And when an opposing defender does make that split-second decision between eliminating the chance of a well-placed pass or shot, players like Acosta make them pay for leaving the other option open.
