USMNT's Kellyn Acosta on stopping Gareth Bale at World Cup: 'We've got to literally start kicking him'

The two LAFC men just won MLS Cup, but on Monday they'll be opponents

While they're teammates at club level for Los Angeles FC, Gareth Bale and Kellyn Acosta will square off when Wales and the United States kick off their World Cup journeys on Monday at 2 p.m. ET. Not long removed from lifting MLS Cup, they'll now be on opposite ends of the pitch, and while Acosta isn't expected to start in midfield, few would know better than him how to stop Bale when he leads the line for Wales. 

After joining MLS, Bale struggled to acclimate, scoring only three goals in 13 matches played for LAFC. But when the lights shined the brightest, Bale rose above Jack Elliott of the Philadephia Union to score a stoppage-time equalizer, pushing the title match into extra time and eventually penalties where LAFC triumphed.

The USMNT won't want to suffer the same fate against Wales as a goal could decide what will be a tightly contested Group B. Pitted against England and Iran, the matches will be competitive, and stopping a big-game player like Bale is a priority. 

"He's a guy that we know to have eyes on," Acosta said, speaking to ESPN. "We've got to literally start kicking him around the field a little bit. Make him feel us. Limit his time and space."

Gregg Berhalter has spoken about how playing at the World Cup is different than qualifying in Concacaf, but the physicality to produce on a waterlogged pitch in El Salvador can be a strength for the national team to show at the World Cup. The United States like to keep a high-energy approach to keep their opponents off balance which shows in Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams' club form for Leeds United, and they can bring that against Wales.

Being physical with Bale so that if Daniel James and Brennan Johnson are in space, passes can't be played to him could cause Wales to adopt a direct approach playing into what the United States do well. With Walker Zimmerman and likely Tim Ream in front of Matt Turner being sound in net, you want Wales to kick it long. 

Acosta warned that if Bale is given time on the ball, he can hurt the USMNT, and you don't need to watch many of Bale's performances over the years to believe him. Closing down quickly and keeping track of the Welsh talisman can be the difference between points to open the World Cup and a mountain to climb against England on Nov. 25.