What Kellyn Acosta's free agent journey means for him, the Fire and MLS

MLS free agency opened Dec. 13, and the Fire made it clear they wanted midfielder Kellyn Acosta, flying him into town on a private jet.

Upon arrival, he toured the city, the site of the upcoming performance center and Soldier Field (where he was met by a video-board message welcoming him to Chicago) and met with the technical staff and others, such as coach Frank Klopas and owner Joe Mansueto, to discuss their vision for the future. Then Acosta and the Fire’s entourage dined at upscale steakhouse Maple & Ash.

Acosta also was interested in the team’s philanthropic goals and discussed how he and the club could work in the community, a joint effort that already has resulted in the revitalization of a turf field at Gage Park that was unveiled Wednesday.

The Fire knew they had to go big to have a chance at Acosta’s signature after his departure from Los Angeles FC. Acosta, a winner of four major trophies and a veteran of the U.S. men’s national team, also was courted by other teams.

But the plush accommodations in Chicago and presumably elsewhere were only part of Acosta’s free-agency process — and it wasn’t all positive.

“It was definitely a difficult process for myself in terms of, this is the first time in my career that I was a free agent,” Acosta said. “It was a lot of moving pieces, a lot of things to think about, and it also was a combination of uneasiness of where I was going to choose to be and also that it was a good feeling just feeling wanted.”

The Fire got what they wanted, signing Acosta on Feb. 13 to a three-year deal with a club option for 2027. According to the MLS Players Association, he’s earning $1,558,869 this year in guaranteed compensation.

Acosta’s adventure in free agency wouldn’t stand out in other North American sports. Big-name players get courted every offseason as fans and media wonder about stars’ next homes.

In MLS, Acosta’s type of move is still a relatively new phenomenon. Free agency was introduced in 2015, and changes in 2020 allowed more freedom of movement. Acosta is one of the biggest names to change teams in MLS via intraleague free agency. His search for a new club was one of the league’s dominant offseason storylines and felt like a sign of growth for the league.

Acosta saw firsthand how free agency speculation adds to the unique MLS transaction calendar. The league mixes its own flavor (allocation money, homegrown players) with that of foreign soccer (big-money interleague transfers, transfer windows) and other American sports (trades, drafts, salary cap) to create intrigue and interest.

Acosta recognizes how valuable that is in bringing excitement and eyes to the league. He knows sports fans look forward to the offseason, wondering who’s going where and how their team can create enough cap space to sign a new star.

“Soccer is a different sport, and what we do here in MLS is very different than what others do in Europe,” Acosta said. “But if we are going to go down the road to replicating [moves] like the other sports, that could be something cool that fans could be a part of and really be keen once the offseason starts.”