Who is Ari Lassiter? Meet the Fire's deadline day addition...

Hours before the MLS trade deadline, the Chicago Fire announced the addition of Ari Lassiter from CF Montréal for the remainder of the 2024 season. The deal sees the Fire send Montréal a total of $75,000 in General Allocation Money in exchange for Lassiter, who will join the team for the rest of the year.

With the Fire sitting just three points outside of a playoff spot with nine matches left to go, it is still not mathematically too late for a push. This means further cover in Lassiter could make a marginal but important difference.

Background

The son of former U.S. international Roy Lassiter, Ari has jumped around in MLS a bit now as the Fire will be his fifth team within the league, but his professional career began at GAIS (Göteborgs Atlet- och Idrottssällskap) in Sweden, where he spent a few months at age 20. He then returned to his hometown of Los Angeles, and eventually signed a first team deal with the L.A. Galaxy.

A 2019 transfer to Alajuelense revitalized his career, however, contributing 24 goals and 11 assists in 64 games. An underwhelming spell with the Houston Dynamo under Tab Ramos slowed that momentum, and he was traded to Inter Miami for $100,000 in GAM at the end of 2021.

He contributed four goals and four assists in his first season as Miami were dumped out in the first round of the playoffs, but he then left at what was arguably the wrong time – in April 2023, he was a part of the infamous blockbuster trade that sent Kamal Miller to South Beach, and joined Montréal.

While he had been in and out of the lineup for Montréal across the last two years, Lassiter has been a staple for the Costa Rican national team, appearing 23 times since 2019. He was recently a part of their Copa América squad that finished third in the group behind Brazil and eventually finalists Colombia.

On the field

Lassiter is ambidextrous, but has primarily been used as a left winger or left wing back. Although usually flying up and down the left wing, he has played a handful of games on the right side as well. His flexibility and versatility is one of his main strengths. While the Fire have no shortage of players who can play in the wing back positions, he brings an extra layer of dynamicism and explosiveness to the role.

A dead-ball specialist whose strengths involve crossing, he will most likely be among the main set piece takers when he’s on the field. He tends to favor his left foot when it comes to playing the ball into the box or finishing.

How he combines with the Fire’s attacking set that includes Brian Gutierrez, Georgios Koutsias, and Hugo Cuypers, remains to be seen. While he won’t be a starter when everyone is available, he can be a valuable option to backup Andrew Gutman in a back five and a reinforcement on the wing if Klopas reverts to a 4-2-3-1. With #2 left back Chase Gasper still out for some time and still not in full training, Lassiter represents much-needed cover as a left-footed player who can play at wing back if Gutman isn’t available.

Contract details

Lassiter’s contract only runs through the end of this season, an arrangement which benefits both ends of the trade. For Montréal, they gain $75,000 in GAM for a player who likely would have left at the end of the year, with the possibility of receiving an additional $75,000 if he really explodes with the Fire. The Fire gain much-needed cover as they hope to end a six-year playoff drought.

There are just nine games left in the season now for the Fire, so Lassiter will need to adapt quickly. With this week off, he will have some extra time to settle with his new teammates before his first match at Yankee Stadium against New York City FC on Saturday, August 24th.

Read more:

https://meninred97.com/chicago-fire-trade-for-ari-lassiter/

https://meninred97.com/klopas-responds-to-heitz-shaqiri-departures/