On Feb. 15, 2016, United acquired the Argentine midfielder on loan from Boca Juniors. The two sides' agreement had an option to permanently acquire the central midfielder following the year-long loan.
There's a new midfielder in town! Welcome to D.C., @LuchoAcosta94 Read more: https://t.co/8dU5JDpJGwhttps://t.co/5iOfoHZ9JF
— D.C. United (@dcunited) February 15, 2016
Only two days later, it was safe to say that "Lucho" was already fitting in with his new teammates, especially Brazilian midfielder Marcelo, at preseason in Florida.
Several months later, Acosta announced himself in a big way, scoring a sublime chip against the New England Revolution.
The goal was even more special, given that the game in which Acosta scored was also the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the first home match at RFK Stadium. Lucho's attempt at remembrance wrote him into the record books straight away, drawing comparisons to United great Raúl Díaz Arce.
The effort was nominated for AT&T Goal of the Week, to the surprise of no one. It seemed United had a superhero among their ranks...
Only a few days later, the Argentine maestro won the weekly honor.
A week later, Acosta took home an even bigger accolade for the goal and was awarded the MLS Goal of the Month.
Shortly thereafter, Lucho sat down to discuss settling in at his new team and in a new country, while also divulging the story behind some of his many tattoos.
There wasn't much time to waste, however, and Acosta was at the heart of the team's midseason turnaround. His head coach Ben Olsen said, "He's a big part of our attack."
In early June, Acosta showed the home support some of the tricks up his sleeve against Seattle. A nightmare for defenders, the five-foot-three Buenos Aires native has an endless arsenal of tricks he can use to get by opposing players.
But it's not all about tricks for Acosta. On Aug. 13, he put in a complete performance against the Portland Timbers, scoring one goal off three attempts. Lucho was named Man of the Match for his efforts (which also included some more dizzying moves).
Growing in confidence down the stretch, Acosta got on the scoresheet again in the 6-2 drubbing of the Chicago Fire on Aug. 27 and was pivotal in the dominant showing from the Black-and-Red, tying a club record with three assists.
Acosta paid FútbolMLS a visit in early September to talk about his life and early career.
Desde sus comienzos en el @BocaJrsOficial de Bianchi hasta su presente en @dcunited, conoce a fondo a @LuchoAcosta94pic.twitter.com/X1rT2dgdk1
— Fútbol MLS (@futbolMLS) September 16, 2016
A short while later, Lucho was named to Major League Soccer's Top 24 Players Under 24.
.@LuchoAcosta94 has been named #14 on @MLS top 24 players under 24!#DCU#24U24 Read: https://t.co/cT4L9nxbDJpic.twitter.com/J9BDkH6JgG
— D.C. United (@dcunited) September 20, 2016
On Oct. 16, Lucho and his Black-and-Red teammates clinched a berth in the Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs, defeating New York City FC 3-1 at RFK.
After the announcement of Acosta's permanent transfer to D.C., fans can look forward to 2017 and more of Lucho and the rest of a strong Black-and-Red side with a bright future.
.@LuchoAcosta94 is here to stay.
— D.C. United (@dcunited) November 16, 2016
& finalize permanent transfer, largest fee in club history.#DCU: https://t.co/RhZhflhMQApic.twitter.com/TPlO1PC70L
