New York City FC today announced the signing of 21-year-old Manhattan-born defender Kamran Acito to a Homegrown contract through the 2026 season, with club options in place that could extend his time with New York City through the 2028-29 season.
Acito is a 6'3" center-back fresh off a collegiate career playing for Duke University, where he played 73 matches across four years spent as a Blue Devil. He served as Duke's captain for two years and was also a captain during his time in the NYCFC Academy, so on-field leadership is one of Acito's attributes.
Acito was decorated during his years at Duke, named the ACC conference's Freshman of the Year in 2022, while also recognized in the National Freshman Best XI that year. In 2024, he received Third Team All-ACC honors, and just this summer, TopDrawerSoccer included Acito in the Second Team of their national 2025 Preseason Best XI made up of the most promising players still in college soccer.
In 2022, Acito also made three appearances – two starts – for New York City FC II in their first-ever season of existence in MLS Next Pro. The announcement of Acito's signing points out that he regularly trained alongside the NYCFC First Team in his years with the team, with Acito quoted as saying, "I was lucky to train with Club legends like 'Taty' [Valentín] Castellanos, Alex Callens and Maxime Chanot, who were some of the best players in the league. That was eye-opening for me and showed me what this Club is capable of and what’s possible here."
Now Acito returns to the New York City FC fold as the club's 19th Homegrown signing in history, possibly here to take the spot on the depth chart vacated by another recent Homegrown central defender, Prince Amponsah, who left the club after his contract option was declined at the end of the 2025 season.
You can read the full text of the release from New York City FC announcing Acito's Homegrown signing below.
NEW YORK – December 22, 2025 – New York City FC announced today that it has signed Defender Kamran Acito to a First Team contract as a Homegrown through 2026 with Club options through June 2027, and the 2027-2028 and 2028-2029 seasons. Acito becomes the 19th Homegrown Player in New York City FC history.
Acito returns to New York City FC following a standout career at Duke University, where the Defender established himself as a reliable starter and key contributor. During his time with the Blue Devils, Acito earned ACC Freshman of the Year, ACC All-Freshman Team, and Third Team All-South Region honors in 2022, along with National Freshman Best XI recognition accolades. The Defender later achieved Third Team All-ACC honors in 2024.
The Manhattan native appeared in 73 games during his career as a Blue Devil, logged more than 6,000 minutes, and tallied five assists and one goal. In his 2025 senior season, Acito played every minute of the ACC Championship as well as all three of Duke’s NCAA Tournament matches, finishing the year with a season high of two assists.
“It feels good to be back at New York City FC. It’s been a long time coming,” said Defender Kamran Acito. “I missed this place a lot, and it’s always been a dream of mine to represent this team and my hometown. I always knew this place was home; I’m familiar with the staff, the players, and my fellow Homegrowns, like Cooper [Flax], who I’m excited to play with again. There was never a doubt in my mind that I wanted to come back to the Club. It’s a dream come true.”
Before joining Duke University, Acito came through the New York City FC Academy in 2018. Acito then earned a contract with the Clubs' MLS NEXT Pro affiliate team, New York City FC II, where Acito played as a Defender accumulated 148 minutes over three games, and served as a captain. During that time, the Defender regularly trained with the New York City FC’s First Team.
“I think the Academy prepares players well. There are a lot of opportunities to move through the Second Team and into the First Team, and a lot of exposure, which I benefited from early on. Getting familiar with the environment, the staff, and the playing personnel was really useful,” Acito continued. “One of my favorite memories was when I first started training with the First Team during the 2021 season when the team won MLS Cup. I was lucky to train with Club legends like ‘Taty’ [Valentín] Castellanos, Alex Callens and Maxime Chanot, who were some of the best players in the league. That was eye-opening for me and showed me what this Club is capable of and what’s possible here. I’m a strong, confident Defender. I like being on the ball, which suits the Club’s style of play. I try to bring a calm presence to the back line. I’ve been a captain at different levels in the Academy and was a two-year captain at Duke. I enjoy being a leader; someone teammates can rely on when things get tough.”
Transaction: New York City FC signs Defender Kamran Acito to a First Team contract as a Homegrown for 2026 with Club options through June 2027, and the 2027-2028 and 2028-2029 seasons.
Name: Kamran Acito
Date of Birth: March 5, 2004
Hometown: Manhattan, NY
Position: Defender
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 185lb
Age: 21
Last Club: Duke University
