Ariel Lassiter
#46
Forward
Turrialba, Costa Rica
Born in Costa Rica, Lassiter grew up in Temecula, California where he was a four-year letter winner at Great Oak High School. He was a two-time captain for his side and named the 2012-13 Male Athlete of the Year honoree. During his high school years, Lassiter had stints training with the academy squads at Tottenham Hotspur FC (England) and Sporting Lisbon (Portugal). He earned a scholarship to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he starred as a freshman, starting in 21 games while notching five goals and four assists en route to earning Big West Conference All-Freshman Team honors. He signed with GAIS in Sweden’s professional division following his freshman year before returning to Southern California to join LA Galaxy II this offseason.
Lassiter is the son of MLS and USMNT great Roy Lassiter, who holds the MLS single-season goal scoring record (27). His grandfather, Roy Lassiter Sr., played in the NFL for the Washington Redskins.
The 20-year-old forward has earned call ups this year with the U-23’s of U.S. Men’s National Team and Costa Rica.
What’s your favorite LA Restaurant?
P.F. Chang’s
What’s your favorite movie?
Goal! The Dream Begins
Who’s your favorite superhero?
Spiderman
Who was your favorite soccer player growing up?
My dad
Who is your favorite soccer team?
Real Madrid
What is your favorite food?
Carne Asada
Who is the best Dressed on Galaxy II?
Joe Franco
Who is the worst dressed on Galaxy II?
Elijah Martin
If you weren’t playing soccer, what would you do?
Play tennis
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Children’s Story by Slick Rick
How many tattoos do you have?
Zero
Who or what has influenced you as a leader on the field?
My family, my dad.
What are some of your favorite memories from your days as a beginner?
Watching my dad play, being with him in the locker room and just going to the stadium. That was the best.
How have you found your transition into Los Dos?
Pretty easy, everybody is pretty close on the team. On and off the pitch we are kind of like a family, so we hang out a lot. I think that is what made it pretty easy.
What is life like as a player for Los Dos?
We are all very close. In training, we all challenge each other and we all push each other to reset next level. We push each other to the first team.
How has USL developed over the years?
It’s developing a lot, especially now that all the MLS teams are making a second team to play in the USL. That’s only going to make the league better.
What do you look forward to accomplishing in your future?
I want to play in MLS, hopefully in Europe one day. I’d love to play in Champions League, and my ultimate goal is playing in the World Cup.
What do you do on your own time?
I like to play golf in my spare time. Not much out here, just back home with my best friend.
Youth Awards
Most Outstanding Player - 2012 United States Youth Soccer National Championships
Great Oak HS Male Athlete of the Year (2012-13)
Southwestern League Offensive MVP (2011-13)
All-California Interscholastic Federation State Third Team (2010-11)
2x Inland Empire High School Player of the Year
Collegiate Awards
Big West Conference All Freshman Team (2013-14)
