The New York Cosmos announced today that they have signed forward Isaac Acuña for the 2020 National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) fall season.
As per the club’s policy, no further details were released.
Acuña, 30, who was signed midway through the 2019 National Premier Soccer League season, played an important role in the Cosmos reaching the championship game and finishing second in the NPSL Members Cup.
Only 15 minutes after making his Cosmos debut on June 29, Acuña scored in the 5-0 home win over the Greater Lowell Rough Diamonds in the NPSL. He also scored the lone goal in a 1-0 home victory over Napa Valley 1839 FC on Sept. 7, dedicating his goal to his wife and daughter.
The 6-1, 190-lb. Acuña’s most productive match came when he tallied both goals in the Cosmos’ 2-0 Members Cup triumph over Michigan Stars FC on Sept. 14.
“He’s a striker, a pure striker, a hungry striker,” Mendes said. “He has a nose for the goal and that mentality that anything around the area or the box. He wants to be on the end of it. He’s very clever. That’s very, very important. The fact that he has experience and has been a pro I think will help the younger guys on the team. He’s going to be important to set an example.”
Similar to his teammates Sal Barone and Matt Lewis, Acuña will be loaned to Detroit City FC for the duration of the NISA spring season.
Before he joined the Cosmos, the California native had spent his entire career outside the United States.
Acuña came through the ranks of Club América before suiting up for its first team in 2010. He also has performed for Mexican clubs Querétaro, Mérida, and Celaya, among others. Acuña also has played professionally in Peru and Guatemala, including winning the Liga Nacional Apertura with Comunicaciones in 2018. He scored eight goals for Club Deportivo Guastatoya before joining the Cosmos last year.
