Editor's Note
Ariel Lassiter scored the last of the LA Galaxy's three goals on Saturday, his first in MLS competition, making him part of the fifth father-son duo to score in the league. Here's a look at every such pairing to hit league rosters.
—Ben Couch, Senior Editor | July 22, 2017
Original Copy — Jan. 27, 2017
With Ian Harkes (above right) signing a professional contract with D.C. United earlier this week, the team his father John (above left) led to two MLS Cups, a US Open Cup, a Supporters' Shield and a CONCACAF Champions Cup, it seems appropriate to look back at other father-son duos in MLS history:
Alex and Teal Bunbury
Altogether the most accomplished duo on this list in MLS terms to date. Alex Bunbury was a Canadian international forward who scored four goals and four assists in MLS play from 1999-2000 for Kansas City, winning the MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield his final season as a pro, while his son Teal is also a forward, albeit a US international, who has 29 goals and 20 assists in 177 MLS regular season appearances to date for Kansas City and New England. Like his father, Teal Bunbury also won an MLS Cup with Kansas City, in 2013.
David and Jesus Ferreira
Like the Harkeses, the Ferreiras' story in MLS is only just beginning, it seems. Dad David is a legend at FC Dallas, playing five seasons at the club and winning MLS MVP in 2010, the year he helped take the club to the MLS Cup Final. And the Colombian put down roots in the area, as his son Jesus came through FCD's vaunted academy program and became the youngest Homegrown signing by the club in November 2016 at the tender age of 15. The young forward may not see much first-team action this year, but with the pedigree he's got, his time may come sooner than you think.
Roy and Ariel Lassiter
Roy Lassiter remains one of the MLS record-holders, as the striker set the single-season scoring record of 27 goals back in 1996, a mark that has been matched twice but yet to be surpassed. The elder Lassiter bounced around MLS, playing for Tampa Bay, D.C. United, Miami and Kansas City from 1996-2002, but his son Ariel has thus far played for one club, the LA Galaxy. Ariel is 22, a striker like his father, and looking to break through under Curt Onalfo for the first team after an impressive showing for LA Galaxy II in 2016.
Onandi and Damion Lowe
Jamaican international Onandi Lowe bounced between the Caribbean, North America and England, playing for several lower-division teams in the US and Canada (including the Montreal Impact) before joining Kansas City for one season, in 2001. Son Damion has also been capped by Jamaica, but the defender, a Generation adidas signing for 2014, did not crack the lineup for the Seattle Sounders and is still awaiting his first minutes in MLS.
Adolfo and Jose Adolfo Valencia
Another Colombian father-son duo on this list, Adolfo Valencia, nicknamed "El Tren" (the train), played for the MetroStars in 2000-01, scoring 16 goals in his first season in MLS. His son, Jose Adolfo went by the nickname "El Trencito" (the little train) and played for the Portland Timbers in 2013, scoring one goal in 21 regular season appearances.
Robert and Konrad Warzycha
Robert Warzycha is a man who is synonymous in MLS with Columbus Crew SC, having played for them from 1996-2002 while also coaching them, including via the head coaching position, from 2009 until 2013. The younger Konrad became just the second son to play for his father in MLS, following Michael Bradley, after joining Columbus in 2013. Konrad had spent the previous two seasons in Kansas City.
