CONFIRMED: Rapids acquire USMNT midfielder Kellyn Acosta from Dallas; send Dominique Badji in exchange

The Colorado Rapids have confirmed that the club has acquired midfielder Kellyn Acosta from FC Dallas and sent forward Dominique Badji to Dallas. The Rapids also gave Dallas an international roster spot. The clubs have swapped first round picks in the 2019 SuperDraft and additionally, the Rapids got FCD’s second-round selection. The press release also said “both teams will retain 50% of any international transfer value through the 2020 secondary transfer window.”

Rapids Executive Vice President and General Manager Padraig Smith said “Kellyn Acosta is one of the bright young players in U.S. Soccer. His versatility in the midfield and ability to control games, get forward and break lines is something that will help this team both this season and in years to come. We can’t wait to welcome him to Colorado.”

Smith also thanked Badji. “On behalf of the entire organization, we want to thank Dom for his time here. His contributions to this club over the last few seasons will not be forgotten and we wish him nothing but the best in this next stage of his career,” he said.

Acosta’s homegrown contract with Dallas is through the end of this year, and then the Rapids can exercise club options in 2019 and 2020. Acosta has mentioned wanted to play in Europe before, and many people have questioned if this move is just to keep him in MLS until his contract ends and then he’ll leave for a European team in the offseason.

While the Rapids don’t need a leftback (which is the position Acosta plays with the USMNT), he is more of a box-to-box midfielder for FCD. I think he will work well with Jack Price, and the Rapids midfield just got a lot stronger. That being said, the Rapids have now traded away both of our leading scorers, and our next highest scorer is... defender Tommy Smith (2 goals, 3 assists), followed by Edgar Castillo (2 goals, 2 assists), and Jack McBean (2 goals, 0 assists). This is obviously a building move and is part of what Padraig Smith has referenced several times by saying it will take 3-4 transfer windows to get the pieces in place. However, I’m not sure where the goals are going to come from now.

Acosta will be introduced at a press conference today at noon, which will be streamed at ColoradoRapids.com/live.

Read about the original rumor and why Acosta might have been moved here.

We wish Badji nothing but the best and welcome to Colorado, Kellyn!