On Wednesday night at TQL Stadium, Lucho Acosta returned to Cincinnati for the first time since his offseason departure. But instead of a warm welcome, he was met with boos from the home crowd every time he touched the ball.
Acosta, who played a key role in FC Cincinnati’s rise to success, helped the club win its first-ever Supporters’ Shield and became the first MVP in team history. Despite his contributions, his exit left many fans feeling betrayed, and they made their feelings known throughout the match.
After the game, Acosta expressed his frustration with the reception.
“The fans need to be more grateful with me. They boo me, but I don’t deserve that. I feel bad because I won the Supporters’ Shield here, the first MVP for the club, and the first trophy for the club. I think I deserve more than that.”
While Acosta was the center of attention from the crowd, FC Cincinnati took a 2-0 lead in the first half with goals from Pavel Bucha and Kevin Denkey. However, FC Dallas fought back in the second half, with Petar Musa and Anderson Julio leveling the match at 2-2. Cincinnati briefly regained the lead through Gerardo Valenzuela in the 86th minute, but Sebastien Ibeagha’s stoppage-time header secured a 3-3 draw.
While he regrets how things ended, the question remains: Should Cincinnati fans forgive him?
In my opinion, I understand why Acosta is frustrated, but he has to realize that this is part of the game. When a star player leaves a club, especially in the way that he did, fans are going to react. Whether he deserves the boos or not is up for debate, but expecting unconditional appreciation after forcing a move isn’t realistic. He brought a lot of success to Cincinnati, but that doesn’t erase the emotions surrounding his departure. At the end of the day, this is what comes with leaving a place the way he did.
