Roy Lassiter facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Roy Lee Lassiter | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 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) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1992–2000 | United States | 34 | (4) | |||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Kitsap Soccer Club | |||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Houston Dynamo 2 (assistant) | |||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Carolina Core FC | |||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Roy Lee Lassiter, born on March 9, 1969, is an American former professional soccer player. He played as a forward, which is a player whose main job is to score goals. Roy started his professional career playing in Costa Rica.
He later returned to the United States to play in Major League Soccer (MLS) when the league began in 1996. From 1996 to 1999, he was one of the best goal scorers in MLS. Roy Lassiter has also worked as an assistant coach for MLS Next Pro club Houston Dynamo 2. In June 2023, he became the Head Coach of Carolina Core FC.
Roy is also the father of Ariel Lassiter, who plays soccer for the Portland Timbers in MLS.
Contents
Early Life and Soccer Start
Roy Lassiter was born in Washington, D.C., but he grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. He went to Athens Drive High School where he was a star soccer player. In his senior year, he was named the North Carolina State 4-A Player of the Year. He was also recognized as a high school All-American.
That year, Roy helped his high school team win the state championship. He set a state record by scoring an amazing 47 goals in one season! After high school, he attended Lees-McRae College in 1987. His team won the D3 National Championship in 1988. He then moved to North Carolina State University in 1989. There, he was named First Team All-ACC and All South in 1991.
Playing for Clubs
While recovering from a leg injury, Roy Lassiter was contacted by a soccer team called Turrialba from Costa Rica in 1992. He signed a contract and began his professional career there. He also played for another Costa Rican team, Carmelita. In the summer of 1995, his team Alajuelense sold him to Major League Soccer.
MLS Success and Records
In 1996, Roy Lassiter became the top goalscorer in Major League Soccer. He scored 27 goals for the Tampa Bay Mutiny. After this amazing season, he was loaned for six months to an Italian team called Genoa. His record of 27 goals in the first MLS season was a league high for many years. It was finally broken in 2018 by Josef Martínez.
In 1998, Lassiter was traded to D.C. United. He played two seasons with D.C. United and helped them win the MLS Cup in 1999. He was later traded to the Miami Fusion in 2000. After that, he played for the Kansas City Wizards in 2001. He returned to D.C. United in the middle of the 2002 season.
Roy finished his MLS career with 88 regular season goals. This was a league record until 2004. He also scored 13 goals in the MLS playoffs, which puts him among the top playoff goal scorers in MLS history. He ended his professional playing career with the A-League's Virginia Beach Mariners in 2003. He also played a few games for other teams to help promote them.
Playing for His Country
Roy Lassiter was first called to play for the U.S. national team in January 1992. He played his first game, called a "cap," as a substitute. However, he broke his leg in a training accident just a few days later.
His second game for the national team came over three years later in August 1995. On October 8, 1995, he played his third game and scored the winning goal in a 4–3 victory against Saudi Arabia. Roy's career continued to improve, and he became a regular player for the U.S. team in 1997. He played consistently for the U.S. that year.
He was chosen as an alternate player for the 1998 FIFA World Cup team. He played his last game for the national team in 2000. Overall, Roy Lassiter played in four FIFA World Cup qualification matches. He finished his international career with 34 caps and 4 goals for the United States.
Career Statistics
International Goals
Scores and results list the United States' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Lassiter goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 8, 1995 | Washington, D.C., United States |  Saudi Arabia |
4–3 | 4–3 | Friendly |
| 2 | December 14, 1996 | Palo Alto, California, United States |  Costa Rica |
2–0 | 2-1 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | March 23, 1997 | San José, Costa Rica | Costa Rica |
2–2 | 2–3 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | June 29, 1997 | San Salvador, El Salvador |  El Salvador |
1–0 | 1–1 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Coaching Statistics
- As of October, 2023
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||||
| Carolina Core FC | June 15, 2023 | Present | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | ||
Awards and Honors
Roy Lassiter earned many awards and honors during his soccer career:
With Alajuelense
With Tampa Bay Mutiny
- MLS Supporters' Shield: 1996 (This award goes to the MLS team with the best regular season record.)
With D.C. United
- MLS Cup: 1999 (They were also runner-up in 1998)
- MLS Supporters' Shield: 1999
- CONCACAF Champions League: 1998 (This is a competition for top clubs in North, Central America, and the Caribbean.)
- Copa Interamericana: 1998 (A competition between the CONCACAF Champions League winner and the Copa Libertadores winner.)
Individual Awards
- MLS All-Star: 1996, 1998, 1999 (Chosen as one of the best players in the league.)
- MLS Golden Boot: 1996 (Award for the top goalscorer in MLS.)
- MLS Best XI: 1996 (Named one of the top eleven players in the league.)
- CONCACAF Champions League MVP: 1998 (Most Valuable Player of the tournament.)
See also
In Spanish: Roy Lassiter para niños
