FC Dallas started their 2018 campaign on Wednesday night, losing 1-0 at Tauro FC in the CONCACAF Champions League, without the services of midfielder Kellyn Acosta and it appears that they will be missing him for a significant amount of time.
The club announced on Thursday that the 22-year-old will be out for 6-to-8 weeks after undergoing successful surgery to repair a sports hernia. That will put him out for the second leg of Dallas's Round of 16 matchup and the quarterfinals if FCD were to advance. That timeline would also encompass the first three games of the MLS season at minimum.
The US national team regular is coming off a season that saw him register three goals and two assists in 23 games played for a team that failed to make the playoffs for the first time since head coach Oscar Pareja arrived in 2014. Acosta appeared in five matches during the last round of World Cup qualifying for the US including starts on the road against Honduras and Mexico. He finished second in MLSsoccer.com's 24 Under 24 rankings last season.
With Acosta sidelined, veteran Victor Ulloa started the match against Tauro on Wednesday night and the 25-year-old is likely to receive the bulk of the playing time next to Carlos Gruezo in central midfield during Acosta's absence. Ulloa started 18 matches in 2016 and 12 in 2017.
MLS Fantasy Impact: Ulloa ($6.5) would be a good depth piece, while the Red Bulls' Tyler Adams ($7.5) could be a quality replacement at the same price. Start playing!
