December 16, 2021 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Inter Miami CF News Release
Inter Miami CF announced today it has acquired attacker Ariel Lassiter from Houston Dynamo FC in exchange for $100,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) – $50,000 in 2022 and $50,000 in 2023 – and additional GAM if performance-based incentives are met. The Costa Rican international, who also holds United States citizenship, joins the club after two seasons in Houston.
“We’re excited to continue strengthening the squad ahead of our 2022 season with the signing of Ariel. He has the ability to stretch teams with his quickness and pace, and looks to get behind to create scoring opportunities. He comes from a soccer family, brings good character to the club and we believe he can be a good fit to our team. We look forward to seeing him help us achieve our goals in the upcoming campaign,” said Inter Miami CF Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director Chris Henderson.
The 27-year-old versatile attacker’s experience includes four years with the LA Galaxy organization (2015-2018), a year and a half with the Houston Dynamo (2020-2021), and a year and a half, playing three seasons in that time span, with Costa Rica’s top-flight side Liga Deportiva Alajuelense (2019-2020) – where he recorded an impressive amount of 24 goals and 16 assists in only 65 appearances and helped them reach the final in the 2019 Torneo Apertura and the 2020 Torneo Clausura – as well as numerous appearances for the Costa Rican National Team in prominent international competitions such as the Concacaf Gold Cup.
The winger, who can also play as a forward, most recently featured for Houston Dynamo FC, first joining on loan in August 2020 and eventually making the move permanent in December 2020. In his time with the club he made 35 appearances, 14 of them starts, for a total of 1,485 minutes played. In a condensed 2020 season, he tallied three goals and one assist in his 16 appearances.
Prior to joining Houston, the Turrialba, Costa Rica native spent a year and a half with Liga Deportiva Alajuelense in his native Costa Rica, signing in December 2018 and making his debut in January 2019. In 65 appearances with the team he scored 24 goals and registered 16 assists, including a standout 2019 Liga FPD Torneo Apertura campaign that saw him help lead Alajuelense to a top-of-the-table finish with 12 goals and five assists in just 20 appearances, eventually reaching the final of the tournament. The winger once again starred in the 2020 Liga FPD Torneo Clausura, totaling eight goals and nine assists in just 19 appearances and once again helping the team reach the final of the tournament.
Lassiter’s MLS career began with the LA Galaxy, joining the club in 2015, where he first excelled with their USL team LA Galaxy II, registering 34 goals and six assists in 63 games. Lassiter made his MLS debut on July 25, 2015 against Houston and went on to spend four seasons with the Galaxy, making 25 MLS regular season appearances.
Before coming to MLS, the Costa Rican-American made his professional debut with Swedish club GAIS in the country’s second division, spending the 2014 season with the team and tallying one goal and five assists.
Lassiter has also featured on the international stage, making 17 appearances for the Costa Rican men’s national team and scoring his first goal for Los Ticos in a July 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup match against Guadeloupe. Lassiter has featured for the team in several prominent competitions including the Gold Cup, Concacaf Nations League and a FIFA World Cup Qualifier. At the youth international levels, Lassiter featured for both the United States and Costa Rica.
Lassiter attended the University of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2013, and in his lone season with the Mustangs the forward earned Big West Conference All-Freshman team honors.
Lassiter is the son of former MLS and United States Men’s National Team forward Roy Lassiter, who won two MLS Supporters’ Shields and an MLS Cup, and registered 101 goals in 200 MLS appearances between his stints with the Miami Fusion, Tampa Bay Mutiny, Kansas City and D.C.
Inter Miami fans can join The Heartbeat of the club and secure their seats for the 2022 campaign by becoming Season Ticket Members. Season Ticket Members receive the best prices and priority seating locations for all 2022 home matches. Additional benefits include priority access to home playoff matches, interest free payment options, and discounts on season parking passes. For more information on Season Ticket Memberships, please visit intermiamicf.com/tickets.
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