Besides the pursuit of academic degrees, many athletes come to college with the dream of one day becoming a professional in their sport. For a select few of those talented individuals, this vision becomes a reality. For former N.C. State soccer player Tyler Lassiter, a dream truly has come true.
After spending four years as a regular starter on the back line while scoring 12 career goals as a defender, Lassiter was selected 30th in the 2011 MLS Super Draft by the New York Red Bulls. Lassiter described the situation and the elation he felt when he realized he had been drafted.
“I was at Tobacco Road on Glenwood with my family and friends,” Lassiter said. “We were watching the draft on ESPN and my name came up and we just all went crazy. I had talked to a few people [previously] and they told me there was a good chance that I would go.”
“I decided not to go down to Baltimore where the draft was held; I wanted to stay in town with my friends and family.”
Lassiter now finds himself in a city with nearly eight million more people than Raleigh and on a team with famous and well-decorated athletes such as Thierry Henry and Wayne Rooney’s younger brother, John Rooney. Lassiter is enthusiastic about the opportunities he has in the ‘Big Apple’ with such a large team.
“It’s pretty different from Raleigh,” Lassiter said. “I grew up in a smaller city [Wake Forest] than Raleigh; it’s a lot more different than I’m used to. I’ve been dreaming of this since I was a little boy. This is where I wanted to go, out of everywhere. I feel like it all worked out well. It’s a great team and a great atmosphere. The city is huge. There’s always something to do and a lot of people.”
The transition from one level of athletics to the next can be a challenging acclimation. Lassiter has seen it all; from playing on the club and high school level at Wake Forest-Rolesville all the way to varsity soccer on the collegiate level, he now finds himself in the highest level of soccer possible in the United States and, arguably, one of the best leagues in the world.
In the face of a quicker and more physical form of game play, Lassiter appears to have taken to the conversion well.
“It’s been pretty good,” Lassiter said. “The game is a lot faster. It’s something you get used to. Overall, it’s been a great learning experience and I’m learning a lot here. I love my team and I love where we are.”
But without the hassle of balancing class with soccer, Lassiter seems to prefer soccer as a full-time job.
“It can’t get any better for me. I expected it to be harder than college as far as running and stuff but since you don’t have two-a-days, three-a-days, and a cramped preseason it’s not as bad,” Lassiter said. “It’s still a lot of work. Every day we have a gym session and a training session. We do a lot more weights here than we do in college.”
When Lassiter arrived in New York City, he was not the only new player to arrive on the scene. The Red Bulls appear to purposefully house their new players with one another, which may result in helping them to get adjusted to new surroundings and create team camaraderie. One of his roommates, Teddy Schneider, a defender from Princeton, has a lot of respect for Lassiter.
“Tyler’s a great kid,” Schneider said. “He’s down to earth and friendly. Being a fellow rookie, it was nice to have someone there that was friendly. It made the whole situation more comfortable.”
Even though Lassiter has not yet found his way into the first-team squad, the season is still young and he has plenty of time to prove himself to the Red Bulls’ coaches. The team has only had two games so far this season, the second of which, against the Columbus Crew, Lassiter made to the game as a possible substitute.
Goalkeeper and roommate Alex Horwath, who had a shutout at his league debut against the Crew, believes Lassiter is on his way to a starting 11 appearance.
“He’s been great,” Horwath said. “He works hard during training, which is expected, but he’s also willing to stay after for extra running and to hit long balls and stuff. He’s definitely in the right place and he’s working hard to get into the lineup.”
But it’s not just Lassiter’s constant work ethic that impressed Horwath. Instead, the goalkeeper is impressed with the level of talent that Lassiter has shown at such a young age.
“I’ve played in a lot of the reserve games with him. He definitely plays with confidence. You can’t tell he’s a first-year player based on his overall demeanor on the field,” Horwath said. “He knows there’s a steep learning curve for first-year guys and the game’s a little more physical. All the technical skills and reading of the game are already there. He has all the tools. Once he adjusts to the pace of the game he could definitely step up and be a starter.”
Although Lassiter has fulfilled one of his dreams of making it into professional soccer, he still has further ambitions involved in the ‘beautiful game.’ Even though he is content where he is now, Lassiter still hopes to one day make the U.S. national team.
“Playing internationally is a dream of mine and a goal,” Lassiter said. “I’d love to do it but we’ll see how it goes throughout the year.”
