COMMERCE CITY — The love was gone. For so many reasons, be it injury or starting to lose his dominant place in the midfield, Kellyn Acosta no longer enjoyed soccer in Dallas, the place he’s played the game almost his entire life. Once seen as a rare American prospect with obvious potential to play professionally in Europe, Acosta’s meteoric rise in the sport and the U.S. Men’s National Team has since leveled.

But Acosta, 22, thinks he can find that love again in Denver, and team captain Tim Howard believes the Rapids’ newly acquired midfielder can not only help transform Colorado back into an MLS Cup contender, but also put himself in position to sign an international contract.

“He could go to Europe tomorrow. He has that type of talent,” Howard, the Rapids’ goalie, said of Acosta. “The things we’d like him to do – and he will – is be focused and dialed in. Be part of our group, be part of winning, and then let the executives take care of the rest.

“I always said in Everton, people would come in and Man City would offer a lot of money for our club. Our chairman and our manager would let a player go out the door as long as we got a king’s ransom for that player. We’re no different here.”

The Rapids acquired Acosta late Sunday in a trade that sent leading scorer Dominique Badji and Colorado’s 2019 MLS SuperDraft first-round pick to FC Dallas. (Colorado receives Dallas’ first- and second-round 2019 picks and has two seasons of club contract options on their new star.) Eager to start his new life at altitude, Acosta was on the first flight out of Dallas on Monday morning to participate in the Rapids’ 10 a.m. training session with hopes of playing in Tuesday’s friendly against Boca Juniors at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. After practice, he sat down with The Denver Post to discuss his future.

Shoot me straight, how difficult was it leaving your homegrown club?

Acosta: “It’s bittersweet. Bitter in the sense that I’m leaving behind the club I was with for 10 years, and kind of just leaving my friends and family behind, which is difficult because it’s a place I’ve been comfortable my whole life and always had someone there to support me. Now, I have to expand my horizons. The sweet part is that it’s a new journey, stepping out of my comfort zone is going to be a challenge, but I think for me, having that challenge will help me find myself and mature in ways I never thought I’d have to. And being integrated with a new team, I think it will bring out new qualities of myself, and having different guys around me will open my eyes to see different things on the field.

“I think in Dallas, I wasn’t enjoying the futbol the way I was wanting to. I think a change of scenery will help me. Changes like that are difficult, but this challenge will benefit me.”

What made you lose your enjoyment of the game?

Acosta: “Things just weren’t going in the direction that I wanted them to. There was the injury (sports hernia), and then just doing the same routine over and over just took a toll mentally and physically. For me to get back to what I do best, I needed to put that phase of my life behind me and start a new chapter.”

Were you surprised that you were traded?

Acosta: “No. I had conversations with (FC Dallas reps) and expressed how I was feeling. I was open and honest, and they understood that I had been there for quite some time, and that’s how the game goes. It was a tough decision for me to open up to them about that, but at the same time, I had to open myself up for me to play the style and quality of futbol that I want to play. Being in Colorado is going to bring the best out of me and I think I made the right decision.

Do you think this is your last stop before Europe?

Acosta: “Yeah, hopefully. We’ll see. Europe, that’s where I want to be… we all have our ambitions. I grew up watching since I was 4 years old and this is maybe the stepping stone that I need to get there. But right now, I’m focused on being a Colorado player and bringing back the winning ways to the city.”

Tim Howard said he thinks you could play in Europe tomorrow if you wanted to. What does it mean for you to have a guy who’s been there evaluate your talent in that way?

Acosta: “I have all the respect in the world for Tim. He’s a guy I watched since I was a little kid hopefully, that doesn’t make him feel too old. The guy has been at the highest level, from Man U to Everton, you name it, he’s done it. For a guy like him to say something like that, it definitely has a special place in my heart. Obviously, I have to put work in. It’s great that he’s saying that and I acknowledge that; I know what I want to do and where I want to be, but I need to put those words into play by working hard.

You were born and raised in Plano, Texas, and signed a homegrown contract with FC Dallas. Have you ever lived outside of the Metroplex?

Acosta: “I was in Bradenton for a couple of years (at the IMG Soccer Academy), but other than that, no. This is going to be different.”

What about Denver are you most looking forward to – soccer excluded?

Acosta: “I’m into other sports, so I look forward to catching some other games. Rockies game, Nuggets game, maybe a Broncos game. I’m still Texas everything, to a ‘T,’ though, from Dallas Cowboys to Dallas Mavericks to Texas Rangers. I’ve talked to Tim Howard and he said it’s a beautiful city and that I’m going to enjoy it. I’m glad I get to see the different sides of the country that I don’t get to see when I’m just traveling for games.

How much does it help your comfort level having a guy like Howard, who you’ve played with on the Men’s National Team, here to help you get situated?

Acosta: “It’s definitely helpful having familiar faces around me. Not only Tim, but there are guys I’ve played with on the youth level, guys I can get acclimated with right away because they’re guys I’ve clashed with in games and battled for years, we kind of just have that bond of respect that we’re going to balance it again.”