Ariel Lassiter

Ariel Daniel Lassiter Acuña (born 27 September 1994) is a Costa Rican professional footballer who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club Portland Timbers and the Costa Rica national team.

Early life, youth, and college Lassiter was born in Turrialba, Costa Rica, where his father Roy, a professional footballer, played for A.D. Carmelita. The Lassiter family moved to the United States after the elder Lassiter signed with the Tampa Bay Mutiny of Major League Soccer before eventually moving to Temecula, California when Ariel was 13. There, Lassiter attended Great Oak High School, where he played on the school soccer team for 4 years, captaining the team for 2 years. He received multiple accolades during his high school career, including being named two-time Inland Empire High School Player of the Year.

Lassiter played college soccer for the Cal Poly Mustangs. He had 5 goals and 4 assists from 21 appearances during his first season for the Mustangs, earning a spot on the Big West Conference All-Freshman team. He left Cal Poly after his freshman season.

Club career

GAIS In July 2014, Lassiter signed with GAIS in the Swedish Superettan. He made his debut for GAIS on 9 August 2014, playing 70 minutes in a 2–1 win over Husqvarna FF. On 23 August, he scored his first goal in a 2–0 win against Varbergs BoIS. Lassiter ended his first professional season with one goal from 12 matches.

LA Galaxy On 29 January 2015, Lassiter signed with LA Galaxy II of the United Soccer League. He made his debut for Galaxy II on 22 March, coming on as a substitute in a 0–0 draw with Real Monarchs. Lassiter scored his first goal for Los Dos on 11 April to help Galaxy II to a 3–1 win over Sacramento Republic. Lassiter scored four times in the playoffs as Los Dos reached the final, where they fell 2–1 to the Rochester Rhinos. He also scored once in the U.S. Open Cup as Galaxy II lost to Ventura County Fusion 2–1. The 2015 season also saw Lassiter make one appearance for the Galaxy first team, coming on as a substitute in a 3–0 loss to the Houston Dynamo in an MLS match on 25 July. He started the season with Galaxy II, scoring two goals in a 2–0 win over Arizona United on 26 March. The following week, Lassiter got his first ever MLS start as he helped the Galaxy first team to a 0–0 draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps. He then started five straight games for the reserves before suffering a back injury that kept him out for two months. Lassiter returned from his injury and played with Galaxy II for the rest of their season, scoring nine goals and recording one assist from 16 games as he helped Los Dos reach the playoffs, where they lost 3–0 to Swope Park Rangers in their first game. After being eliminated from the playoffs, Lassiter returned to the Galaxy first team and played in the final two games of the regular season. The Galaxy qualified for the playoffs, but Lassiter did not appear in any of the three matches.

Alajuelense On 18 December 2018, Lassiter signed with Costa Rican club Liga Deportiva Alajuelense. He made his debut for Alajuelense on 16 January 2019, in a 3–3 draw against C.F. Universidad de Costa Rica. He scored his first goal for Alajuelense on 27 February in a 4–2 win over Cartaginés. Lassiter ended his first season in Costa Rica with three goals from 16 games.

On 21 July 2019, Lassiter scored once to give Alajuelense a 1–0 win over Guadalupe F.C. in the opening match of the 2019 Apertura. The following game saw Lassiter score once and record an assist as Los Leones defeated Limón F.C. 2–1. Lassiter scored another brace on 6 October as Alajuelense defeated Deportivo Saprissa 5–2. He finished the Apertura regular season with 12 goals and five assists from 20 appearances, helping Alajuelense finish top of the table. Lassiter made four appearances in the playoffs as he helped Los Leones reach the final, where they lose 2–0 to C.S. Herediano. Since the playoff winner was different than the regular season winner, a two-legged grand final was held between Alajuelense and Herediano to determine the Apertura champion. Lassiter appeared in both legs, but Herediano won 5–4 on penalties after the teams played to a 2–2 aggregate score.

Houston Dynamo On 17 August 2020, Lassiter returned to MLS by going on loan to the Houston Dynamo. Houston sent $50,000 in general allocation money to the LA Galaxy to acquire his MLS rights. He made his Dynamo debut on 2 September, coming on as a substitute and scoring twice to give Houston a 3–0 win over Minnesota United. On 7 October Lassiter recorded his first assist for the Dynamo in a 2–0 win over Texas Derby rivals FC Dallas. On 28 October he scored once in a 2–1 loss to LAFC. Lassiter ended the season with three goals and one assist from 16 appearances. It was a poor season for Houston overall, finishing bottom of the Western Conference and missing out on the playoffs.

On 1 December 2020, the Dynamo announced that they had exercised their purchase option to make Lassiter's move permanent. While the official transfer fee was not announced, it was reportedly around $400,000. Lassiter made 19 appearances during his second season in Houston as the Dynamo finished last in the West for the second straight season.

Inter Miami On 16 December 2021, Lassiter was traded by Houston to Inter Miami for $100,000 of General Allocation Money.

CF Montréal On 12 April 2023, Lassiter was traded with teammate Bryce Duke to CF Montréal for Kamal Miller and $1.3 million in General Allocation Money.

Chicago Fire Lassiter was traded to Chicago Fire on 14 August 2024 in exchange for up to $150,000 in General Allocation Money.

Portland Timbers On 23 December 2024, Lassiter was signed by Portland Timbers via free agency.

International career Born in Costa Rica and raised in the United States, Lassiter was eligible to play for both national teams. He represented the United States U-23 national team twice in friendlies during 2015. Later that year, he switched to the Costa Rican U-23 national team and represented them at the 2015 Toulon Tournament.

He made his senior debut for Costa Rica on 22 March 2019, in a friendly against Guatemala, coming on as a 63rd-minute substitute for Waylon Francis.

On 1 July 2021, Lassiter was included in Luis Fernando Suárez's squad for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Lassiter scored his first senior international goal on 12 July in a 3–1 over Guadeloupe in the Gold Cup group stage. He made four appearances, scored one goal, and had one assist at the Gold Cup, helping Costa Rica reach the quarterfinals.

International

Scores and results lost Costa Rica's goal tally first. No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 12 July 2021 Exploria Stadium, Orlando, United States 2–0 3–1 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup 2. 5 September 2024 Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica 2–0 3–0 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League A