Roy Lassiter

Roy Lee Lassiter (born March 9, 1969) is a retired American soccer striker.[1] He played the first few years of his professional career in Costa Rica. He returned to the United States to play in Major League Soccer when that league was launched in 1996, and from 1996 to 1999 he was one of the most prolific goal scorers in MLS.

Roy Lassiter
Personal information
Full name Roy Lee Lassiter
Date of birth (1969-03-09) March 9, 1969
Place of birth Washington, D.C., United States
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
1985–1988 Athens Drive
1989 Raleigh United
1989 Lees-McRae College
1990–1992 NC State Wolfpack
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–1993 Turrialba 25 (1)
1993–1994 Carmelita 30 (7)
1994–1996 Alajuelense 43 (17)
1996–1998 Tampa Bay Mutiny 60 (37)
1996–1997 → Genoa (loan) 12 (0)
1998–1999 D.C. United 55 (36)
2000 Miami Fusion 27 (8)
2001–2002 Kansas City Wizards 25 (7)
2002 D.C. United 12 (0)
2003 Virginia Beach Mariners 25 (7)
2004 Laredo Heat 1 (0)
Total 315 (120)
National team
1992–2000 United States 34 (4)
Teams managed
2003–2005 Dripping Springs SC (Dir. of Coaching)
2005–2008 Austin United Capitals (Dir. of Coaching)
2009–2014 Albion SC (Dir. of Advancement)
2014–2015 Arsenal F.C U.S (U-16 Academy Coach)
2017–2018 Kitsap Soccer Club
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He is the father of Ariel Lassiter, who currently plays for Houston Dynamo, on loan from Alajuelense, a team Roy played for.

Early life and education

Lassiter was born in Washington, D.C., but grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina where he attended Athens Drive High School. He was the North Carolina State 4-A Player of the Year as a senior and a high school All-American. That year, he led his high school soccer team to the state championship while scoring a state record 47 goals. He also played for a local youth club, 69 Raleigh Rockets, which beat to the LaJolla Nomads 3–0, Roy scored all three goals, in the 1986 Noitis National Club Championship Cup. Lost in the 1986 Southern Regional Finals, in Plano TX, to the Dallas Titans 3–2, before the McGuire Cup. Lassiter attended Lees-McRae College in 1987, won the D3 National Championship 1988. He then transferred to North Carolina State University in 1989, where he was a 1991 First Team All-ACC and All South.[2]

Club career

While convalescing, Lassiter was contacted by Turrialba from Costa Rica in 1992. As Lassiter recalls it, "I have no idea how they got my name. They paid for my trip down there while still recovering from my leg injury, and I signed a contract."[3] He also played for Carmelita and in summer 1995, Alajuelense sold him to Major League Soccer.[4] In August 1995, Lassiter was arrested in connection with two burglaries that took place in 1992 after a Raleigh police detective read a newspaper article that mentioned a goal Lassiter scored in a U.S. friendly match with Benfica. Lassiter was sentenced to 30 days in jail.[5][6]

In 1996, Lassiter won the top goalscorer award in Major League Soccer, scoring 27 goals for Tampa Bay Mutiny,[7] after when he was loaned for 6 months to Italian Serie B side Genoa.[8] His record in the league's inaugural season was tied several times, but stood until it was broken in 2018 by Josef Martínez of Atlanta United FC.[9] Lassiter was traded to D.C. United in 1998 for Roy Wegerle. He played two seasons in DC, winning the MLS Cup in 1999. Lassiter was traded to the Miami Fusion in 2000 due to salary cap, to the Kansas City Wizards in 2001, and back to DC in the middle of the 2002 season. He ended his MLS career with 88 regular season goals, a record surpassed in 2004 by Jason Kreis. Lassiter added 13 goals in MLS playoffs and is 3rd in that category behind Carlos Ruiz and Landon Donovan. He ended his professional career with A-League's Virginia Beach Mariners in 2003 as player/assistant coach, but played a few games with Laredo Heat of the Premier Development League and the exhibition Austin Posse in 2004 to help promote their clubs.[10]

International career

Lassiter was called up to the U.S. national team in January 1992. He earned his first cap as a substitute for Eric Wynalda in a 1–0 loss to the Commonwealth of Independent States in Miami. However, he broke his leg in a training ground collision with Bruce Murray a few days later. His second cap with the national team came over three years later as a substitute for Frank Klopas in an August 16, 1995 1–0 loss to Sweden in Norrköping.[11] On October 8, 1995, he played a third time for the national team, again as a substitute, scoring the game-winning goal in a 4–3 victory over Saudi Arabia. Lassiter's career continued to rise, and he earned his first start for the national team in December 1996 and became a regular for much of 1997. While Lassiter played consistently for the U.S. in 1997, his appearances tapered off in 1998 and he was selected as an alternate for the 1998 FIFA World Cup roster. He played only one game in 2000, his last with the national team. He represented his country in 4 FIFA World Cup qualification matches[12] and finished his international career with 34 caps and 4 goals.[13]

International goals
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1October 8, 1995Washington, D.C. Saudi Arabia4–34–3Friendly
2December 14, 1996Palo Alto, California Costa Rica2–02-11998 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF Third Round
3March 23, 1997San José, Costa Rica Costa Rica2–22–31998 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF Fourth Round
4June 29, 1997San Salvador, El Salvador El Salvador1–01–11998 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF Fourth Round

Honors

Club

L.D. Alajuelense

Tampa Bay Mutiny

D.C. United

Individual

Notes
  1. Roy Lassiter: l'aeroplanino (rotto) del Genoa tuttomercatoweb.com
  2. NC State soccer records
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 22, 2003. Retrieved February 11, 2007.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) – SoccerAmerica
  4. Venderán a Lassiter Nación (in Spanish)
  5. Lassiter's goal leads to arrest
  6. https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1995-10-10-1995283023-story,amp.html
  7. Roy Lassiter quiere más Nación (in Spanish)
  8. Lassiter listo Ayer firmó con el Génova – Nación (in Spanish)
  9. "Atlanta United star Josef Martinez sets MLS single-season goals record". USA Today. Associated Press. August 24, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  10. "Roy Lassiter - GOLNOIR". golnoir.net. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  11. "USA - Details of International Matches 1995-1999". rsssf.com. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  12. Roy Lassiter – FIFA competition record
  13. Archived July 31, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  14. "Costa Rica 1995/96". rsssf.com. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  15. "Tampa Bay Mutiny - 1996". MLS Soccer. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  16. "MLS Cup 1998 - Chicago Fire 2 DC United 0". MLS Soccer. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  17. "MLS Cup 1999 - Los Angeles Galaxy 0 DC United 2". MLS Soccer. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  18. "Trophy Case". D.C. United. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  19. "What Ever Happened To ... Roy Lassiter". MLS Soccer. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  20. "Roy Lassiter". MLS Soccer. Retrieved August 20, 2014. (with Tampa Bay Mutiny)
  21. "CONCACAF Champions Cup Final: D.C. United (MLS) 1 Toluca (Mexico) 0". Soccer America. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
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