'This city is my family.' FC Cincinnati's Luciano Acosta takes out full-page Enquirer ad

MONTREAL − FC Cincinnati captain Luciano Acosta wanted to convey a message to fans via the Cincinnati Enquirer but chose an uncommon method to do so: He took out a full-page advertisement in Thursday's print edition of the newspaper.

The full-page advertisement featured a photograph of Acosta and a note from the player to his supporters. The message appeared on page "A7" of Thursday's Enquirer and also features a Spanish translation. Beneath that is Acosta's signature.

The message reads: "Querido Cincinnati: This city is my family. It is an honor to represent this badge, to fight for honor and glory, For the victories and the defeats, the good and the bad, for you and for me, we are all united. After all, why not go for it all?"

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When asked by an Enquirer reporter about the advertisement, Acosta said he and his agent agreed "we have to do something different. He said, 'what are we gonna do?' You remember when Zlatan arrived in L.A.?' We're gonna do something like that."

Acosta's comment was in reference to a full-page ad in the Los Angeles Times for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, then a newly-acquired player for the Los Angeles Galaxy of MLS. The stunt reflected Ibrahimovic's cocky personality and pointed to his impending arrival to play for the Galaxy.

For Acosta, the intent behind his ad could soon come into full view.

While Acosta didn't make any mention of his contract situation, ardent and casual FC Cincinnati followers alike will recall that Acosta has been in negotiations on a contract extension to remain at FC Cincinnati.

Acosta in 2023 is in the third and final guaranteed year of his contract. FC Cincinnati has a club option to retain his services for 2024 but Acosta has more than likely out-performed his contract and total compensation of more than $2 million. A player in his situation would also likely seek more certainty on his future than a one-season club option would provide.

By many measures, Acosta out-performs peers across MLS making more money than him. Acosta is the 28th-highest paid player in MLS, based on the Major League Soccer Players Association salary guide, but is posting Most Valuable Player-type numbers and performances for the second year in a row.

Acosta fell off the pace for the Landon Donovan MVP Award last year and he still posted 10 goals and an MLS-best 19 assists. So far in 2023, Acosta has 14 goals − the second-most in the league − and 11 assists for first-place FC Cincinnati. He's widely viewed as the frontrunner for this year's MVP honors.

"I think if you look at the performances of 'Lucho' over the course of the season through 29 games, the moments in which he's stepped up and made plays for our group, to position us where we are, certainly warrants his name being at the top of the list for the MVP," FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan told The Enquirer Wednesday.

Acosta scored a 96th-minute equalizer Wednesday against CF Montreal to help secure a 1-1 road draw in the midst of FC Cincinnati's chase for its first-ever Supporters Shield title.

Acosta is also one of FC Cincinnati's most marketable players. He was the first two-time MLS All-Star in team history. In July, he captained the MLS All-Stars against Arsenal FC of the English Premier League and served as one of the league's poster boys for the event.

During the All-Star Game festivities in Washington, D.C., Acosta, 29, shook hands with President Joe Biden during a community event staged on a White House lawn. Images of the handshake were particularly poignant given Acosta's ongoing pursuit of U.S. citizenship, which many believe will open the door to an opportunity with the U.S. men's national soccer team.

Acosta was born in Buenos Aires.

Since joing FC Cincinnati ahead of the 2021 season under then-head coach Jaap Stam and then-technical director Gerard Nijkamp, Acosta has logged 31 goals and 40 assists − all-time club records in both categories − in 88 regular-season appearances. He also tallied the first postseason goal in club history on Oct. 15 against New York Red Bulls.

"We're really happy with where 'Lucho's' at," FC Cincinnati's current general manager, Chris Albright, said during a March 30 news conference. "We think Lucho's really happy and settled, and from everything that we see is in a really good place and wants to be here, and we want him to be here. So, we'll be able to figure out how to get that done."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati's Luciano Acosta takes out full-page Enquirer ad