:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59291921/941497950.jpg.0.jpg)
According to TopDrawerSoccer.com’s Travis Clark, Boca Juniors have signed U.S. youth international George Acosta.
U.S. U17 MNT World Cup vet George Acosta has signed with Boca Juniors, per a source. He'll start out with the reserve team.
— Travis Clark (@travismclark) April 5, 2018
Acosta, 18, is an attacking midfielder and represented the U.S. U-17 national team at the World Cup in India last year. In that tournament, he scored a goal in the team’s 3-1 loss to Colombia in the group stage.
The Miami native will join Boca Juniors’ reserve team to start out his journey in Argentina. He most recently played for North Carolina FC.
Acosta turned 18 in January and is now free to sign outside of his home country according to FIFA rules. If the report is confirmed, he would be the latest from that talented crop of youngsters to sign abroad, joining the likes of Zyen Jones (Schalke), Chris Gloster (Hannover) and Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen).
South America isn’t a usual destination for young Americans looking to make a name for themselves. However, you would be hard-pressed to find a league and country better at developing attacking midfielders.