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Kellyn Acosta is on the move. The FC Dallas midfielder and United States international has been traded to the Colorado Rapids for Dominique Badji, according to a Dallas Morning News report.
Sources tell me FC Dallas is trading homegrown midfielder Kellyn Acosta to the Colorado Rapids in exchange for forward Dominique Badji https://t.co/Y7CZCqXY52
— Jon Arnold (@ArnoldcommaJon) July 22, 2018
Update: It’s now official:
NEWS: FC Dallas acquires forward @dbadji14 from @ColoradoRapids in exchange for Kellyn Acosta.
— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) July 23, 2018
https://t.co/JDrhLmAadz pic.twitter.com/M4srVkDDR8
Acosta first joined FC Dallas in 2012, signing as a Homegrown Player and appearing on the roster in 2013. Transitioning from defense to a holding midfielder, Acosta excelled for Dallas, becoming one of America’s top young midfielders. He eventually became a part of the national team picture, receiving his first cap in January 2016. He was named to the 2017 Gold Cup roster and scored his first international goal in a pre-Gold Cup friendly in July 2017. He had also received interest from several European clubs.
Since then, however, a combination of injuries and poor form has affected his performance, and he recently had been dropped from the FC Dallas lineup. With their lineup apparently set and Dallas in need of a forward, Acosta makes the move to Colorado, who is in desperate need of a jolt and could use some energy in the club. Dallas, in return, get Badji, a 25-year-old forward who notched 26 goals in 4 seasons with the Rapids.
Hopefully, a fresh start will allow Acosta, who turns 23 on Tuesday, to get back to his form that will allow him to get back into the national team picture.