George Acosta wasn't fluent in Spanish when he arrived at Boca Juniors, but he understood enough. After a rough first match with the under-20 team, he could hear his teammates cursing him, asking how an American could end up at one of the most storied soccer clubs in Argentina.

“They think we suck,” Acosta said. “I felt like I had a target on my back because if I did something wrong they’d blame it on me being American. It’s like damn, relax. Every moment in training and games was just me proving to everyone, to show them I’m good enough.”

Acosta learned to cope with the pressure. He eventually earned his place in first-team practice sessions, but still faced long odds at getting consistent playing time for the 33-time Argentinian league champions.

“Being there awhile made me keep thinking about home,” he said. “I feel like I needed a change in my life at this point because I wasn’t being valued as I would be I feel like in my own country.”

For a soccer player from Miami, there’s never been a better time to move back home. David Beckham’s yearslong quest to land an MLS franchise in the city has finally come to fruition, and last month Inter Miami CF officially announced Acosta as its first local player.

In a roundabout way, the move from Buenos Aires to Miami ended up bringing Acosta to another emerging soccer city: Austin. The 19-year-old needed a place to train and play until the 2020 MLS preseason, so he reached out to Austin Bold head coach Marcelo Serrano, who coached Acosta at the U.S. Soccer residency program. He’s been with the Bold since August.

“I’m just trying to get minutes, honestly,” Acosta said. “Get games in. Whether it’s one minute, two minutes, 90 minutes, anything. Just trying to get fit for preseason in January.”

In his professional debut, Acosta came away with an assist and a trophy. A late substitute against Rio Grande Valley FC on Sept. 1, he helped secure the Copa Tejas with a corner kick that was headed in by Promise Isaac. He picked up another assist in the Bold’s last match against Portland Timbers 2, setting up André Lima for a crucial winning goal that boosted the team’s playoff hopes.

The journey back home hasn’t exactly been linear. Acosta first moved to Argentina when he was 14 to join the academy at Estudiantes de La Plata. He came back for the residency program, where he trained full time in Bradenton, Fla., with other members of the U.S. under-17 team ahead of the 2017 U-17 World Cup in India, which he played and scored in.

He was ready to turn pro at 18, and even signed a contract to play for RCD Mallorca in early 2018. A limit on international players at the Spanish third-division club meant that he’d have to wait to see if the team was promoted, a risk he wasn’t willing to take. So he went to Boca instead. Meanwhile, Mallorca — part-owned by former NBA point guard Steve Nash and former U.S. internationals Stu Holden and Kyle Martino — has since risen all the way to La Liga.

“I was heated when I found that out,” Acosta said.

After the disappointment wore off, he dedicated himself to earning his keep in Buenos Aires. The coaches valued ganas, or desire. In soccer, particularly in South America, the word is used to describe a culture of grit and tenacity. By the end, Acosta had risen from the U-20s to the top reserve squad and spent most of the spring practicing with the first team — sharing sessions with the likes of Carlos Tevez and Cristian Pavón.

“When I was younger I was always a really technical player but I wouldn’t do the defensive part because my technical abilities were enough, but then you get to a certain age when they’re not enough,” he said. “You need to do both sides of the ball. Argentina taught me that with grit. The ganas you put into the game, it’s much different.”

A professional debut might have arrived earlier, but he’s thankful the winding path led where it did.

“It feels good that a team at that level wants me. I know I’m up for it. It’s taken awhile.”