In the early days of Major League Soccer, every successful team had a speedy forward who could get behind a defense and score goals. While the likes of Eduardo "El Tanque" Hurtado and Vitalis "Digital" Takawira have long vanished from the memories of many MLS fans, the legacy of "Rocket" Roy Lassiter lives on.
For four seasons, Roy Lassiter was one of the most feared strikers in the league. The Raleigh, N.C., native spent the first two years with the now-defunct Tampa Bay Mutiny, where, in 1996, he put the ball in the back of the net 27 times, which remains the MLS record for most goals in a season, as the Mutiny finished the regular season with the best overall record in the new league.
With the service provided to Roy Lassiter by the brilliant passing of Carlos "El Pibe" Valderramma, and a creative young winger named Steve Ralston, his blistering pace and nose for goal were the keys to his success. But in 1998, Valderramma was sent to the expansion Miami Fusion. After Lassiter had only scored 10 goals in 1997 and failed to tally in the first six games of the new season, then-Mutiny general manager Nick Sakiewicz figured that Lassiter had gone as far as he could.
Boy, was he wrong.
On April 27, 1998, Lassiter was sent to D.C. United in exchange for forward Roy Wegerle. For Sakiewicz, it seemed like a good idea. The 34-year old Wegerle was a talented and experienced forward with ties to the Tampa Bay area, having played at the University of South Florida, and was the Rookie Of The Year with the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League in 1984. Wegerle had also scored twice in a World Cup qualifier for the United States against Canada the previous November.
The trade would turn out to be one of the most lopsided in MLS history. Wegerle made 12 appearances for Tampa Bay, scoring only once before retiring at the end of the season. But Roy Lassiter only needed 24 minutes to get on the score sheet with his new club, getting on the end of a long pass from John Harkes in the 70th minute after coming on at halftime of a 3-0 victory over San Jose. Roy Lassiter would score in his first six matches with United and never look back.
Lassiter was the perfect fit for United. After salary cap issues forced the trade of Raul Diaz Arce following the 1997 season, the team was in need of another quality forward to continue its championship-winning ways. Partnered up top with Jaime Moreno and receiving excellent service from Harkes, rookie Ben Olsen and MVP Marco Etcheverry, Lassiter was unstoppable, outrunning defenders to get to through balls and burying them in the net, then launching into his famous "airplane" goal celebration.
In the CONCACAF Champions Cup at RFK Stadium in August 1998, Lassiter scored six times in the three-game tournament, including four goals against Caribbean Champions Joe Public of Trinidad & Tobago, as United went on to become the first team from the United States to win the tournament. Lassiter would finish up his first season for D.C. United tied for third in the league with 18 goals.
Lassiter continued his excellent run of form in 1999, scoring 11 goals in the first 10 games of the season, winning the MLS Player Of The Month for May and earning a recall to the national team in their friendly against Argentina on June 14.
Lassiter slumped in the second half of the season, but still finished with 18 goals, putting him in a three-way tie for the league lead with Stern John of the Columbus Crew and MVP winner Jason Kreis. In the classic Game Three of the Eastern Conference Finals, Lassiter scored two goals, the second on a bicycle kick, as United beat Columbus 4-0. Lassiter didn't score in MLS Cup 1999, but he was instrumental in United's victory. His pressure on the Galaxy goal earned him an assist on Moreno's opening strike, and, shortly before halftime, forced Galaxy goalkeeper Kevin Hartman into scuffing a clearance attempt, which Olsen put into an empty net.
After the 1999 season, Lassiter was dealt to the Miami Fusion to complete a trade made earlier in the season, and played for the Kansas City Wizards in 2001, scoring 15 goals in the two seasons, including three against United. On June 18, 2002, he was claimed off waivers by United to try to cure their offensive woes. His speed was no longer what it had been, and defenses had improved considerably since his prime, and his only goal came in the 80th minute of a 4-0 rout in a post-season friendly against C.D. Aguila of El Salvador.
But his best play during his second stint with United came in stoppage time against the MetroStars on September 14. Looking like the Lassiter of old, he broke through the Metros' defense alone on goal. Goalkeeper Tim Howard came off his line, upended Lassiter outside the box and was sent off for his efforts, and United preserved a 2-1 victory.
Lassiter finished his MLS career with 88 goals, which stood as the highest total in MLS history until Jason Kreis broke that record last June against, coincidentally, against D.C. United. Lassiter is currently the Director of Coaching at the Dripping Springs Youth Soccer Association near Austin, Texas.
