Fire's Kellyn Acosta excited to reunite with Gregg Berhalter

No Fire player knows new coach and director of football Gregg Berhalter better than midfielder Kellyn Acosta.

From Dec. 9, 2020, to Nov. 29, 2022, Acosta played 29 times for Berhalter and the U.S. men’s national team. Acosta was a key part of Berhalter’s setup, anchoring the team from the midfield.

The two also forged a strong personal relationship, which Acosta is eager to continue with the Fire when Berhalter takes charge.

“[Berhalter] is a guy that got the best out of me during my time with the national team,” Acosta told the Sun-Times. “I’m really looking forward to working under him again. I’m excited for the upcoming season.”

With the caveat that a national team has a different schedule and rhythm than club soccer, Acosta has a pretty good idea of what to expect from Berhalter. Acosta said Berhalter is a players’ coach who understood what the team’s environment needed to be.

“He loves the game, loves to win,” Acosta said. “He’s a coach that you’re able to be completely transparent with. I really admired how he brought the energy level into [national-team] camps.

“Obviously, it’s different being with the national team, working with each other for a week and then not seeing each other for a couple months. Now, working every day, it’s going to be positive. I’m really looking forward to what’s to come.”

Acosta valued Berhalter’s transparency. The players knew what he wanted from them, and they knew why they were getting minutes or sitting on the bench.

Berhalter didn’t stop there. He would inform players what they needed to do to get on the pitch. He would show Acosta video of what he was doing and made him feel comfortable and confident.

“Going into the game knowing that these are some things that the coach is looking to do [and] looking for and use his strategy in the game,” Acosta said. “Every coach has things they want to see within a system. He wants that, but other than that, he wants us to play [soccer] and just really enjoy ourselves and get out there and to blossom.”

Admittedly, Acosta’s first season with the Fire did not live up to his expectations. The team missed the playoffs for the seventh straight season, and Acosta’s impact fell short of his standards.

He’s confident Berhalter can help him reach his previous heights.

“I’m hoping I can get back on track with my level of [soccer] and really perform well and play well,” Acosta said. “I’m sure others feel the same way.”

Before Berhalter’s national-team tenure, he led the Columbus Crew, who managed to be successful despite ownership struggles and rampant talk of relocation. Acosta recalls the Crew being difficult to play against under Berhalter. They were a possession-based team that scored and was defensively sound.

“They were a team that was very organized and structured,” Acosta said. “You’ll see some similarities in our group.”