MONTREAL – CF Montréal announced on Wednesday the acquisition of midfielder Bryce Duke and winger Ariel Lassiter from Inter Miami CF, in return for defender Kamal Miller and $1.3 million in General Allocation Money (GAM) in 2023. Miami retains a sell-on percentage for both Bryce Duke and Ariel Lassiter, while Montreal retains a sell-on percentage for Kamal Miller.
"We’re very happy with the arrival of these two players," said CF Montréal Vice-President and Chief Sporting Officer Olivier Renard. “We had been discussing with Miami for a while regarding Bryce. He is an intelligent player on the pitch, with good technique and passing quality. He is a modern player who will bring creativity. Ariel is a versatile, left-footed player, with good speed and goal-scoring ability. He can also play as a striker and will help us offensively. We wish to thank Kamal for the years spent at CF Montréal. He developed well with us and did good things that helped us achieve good results. We wish him the best of luck for the future of his career. »
In seven matches played this season with Miami, Duke earned four starts and one assist. Last year, the 22-year-old had 28 regular season appearances, including 16 starts, and 1,476 minutes, collecting one goal and seven assists. He previously featured for LAFC during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. During his time in California, he registered 26 MLS regular season appearances, including five starts, and three assists. He made his professional debut on February 18, 2020, in a Concacaf Champions League match against Liga MX side Club León. The Arizona native is a product of the Real Salt Lake Academy, which he joined in 2016.
Lassiter, 28, already boasts extensive MLS experience with three different clubs, having made his league debut with the LA Galaxy (2015-2018), followed by nearly two seasons with the Houston Dynamo FC (2020-2021) and most recently with Inter Miami CF in 2022 and 2023. This season so far, he had earned seven appearances, managing four shots in 143 minutes. He ended the 2022 season with 30 appearances, including 16 starts for a total 1,642 minutes, and managed to collect four goals and five assists. Prior to returning to MLS last year, the midfielder spent the 2019-2020 season with Liga Deportiva Alajuelense of the Costa Rican first division where he recorded 24 goals and 16 assists in 65 appearances. Lassiter has also featured on the international stage, making 17 appearances so far with the Costa Rican national team. He scored his first goal for Los Ticos in a July 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup match against Guadeloupe. He is also notably the son of former MLS striker Roy Lassiter, who won two MLS Supporters’ Shields and an MLS Cup.
In 60 regular season appearances and 5,152 minutes of play with CF Montréal, spanning three seasons from 2021 to 2023, Miller contributed to 11 clean sheets, and managed to collect three goals and six assists. He was part of the Club's last Canadian Championship win in 2021. Internationally, the Scarborough native has 32 caps with the Canadian men’s national team since 2019, including making the Canadian starting XI for all three of the team's games at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Transaction: CF Montréal acquires midfielder Bryce Duke and winger Ariel Lassiter from Inter Miami CF in return for defender Kamal Miller and $1.3M in 2023 General Allocation Money.
BRYCE DUKE
Position : Midfielder
Height : 5’7
Weight : 146 lbs
Date of birth : February 28, 2001
Place of birth : Casa Grande, Arizona
Citizenship : USA
Last club : Inter Miami CF
Acquired : April 12, 2023
ARIEL LASSITER
Position : Left winger
Height : 5’10
Weight : 154 lbs
Date of birth: September 27,1994
Place of birth: Turrialba, Costa Rica
Citizenship: Costa Rica/USA
Last club : Inter Miami CF
Acquired : April 12, 2023
