Costa Rican international attacker Ariel Lassiter and Gonzalo Higuaín showed their developing chemistry in today’s Carolina Challenge Cup opener when they combined for the first goal of the tournament this afternoon. After the match, Lassiter, today’s goalscorer, delved into his connection with Higuaín and how he has found chemistry with the Argentine.
“I think that has to do a lot with the ability to use my pace to try to get in behind. I think with my pace, it opens up space for [Higuaín] to drop back on the ball, and likewise you know, teams are afraid of him getting on the ball and turning and driving at them, that leaves space in behind,” said Lassiter. “So it’s just kind of finding that balance between when to go short and when to play into the spaces but we’ve been combining very well so hopefully that’s something that can continue.”
Assistant coach Jason Kries further explained the combination and how it served as a preview for what fans can expect to see during the season.
“I think it’s a really nice partnership actually because what you have in Gonzalo [Higuaín] is somebody that ultimately wants to come to the ball more often and he wants to run away from it and Ariel’s [Lassiter] a player that will probably tend to be more inclined to run behind the line,” said Kries. “So it makes for a nice combination and you see when we have Gonzalo on the ball, the quality that he can give us in the final third with some of his pass selection.”
“And finally for the goal, it was a fantastic run by Ariel and a fantastic, fantastic pass by Gonzalo to create that post-run chance, so yeah I think there’s some nice combinations that are happening,” added the assistant coach.
Lassiter later shared his excitement about the upcoming home opener against the Chicago Fire on Feb. 26, which will mark his first official match with Inter Miami.
“I love preseason but I’m really excited to get this season started. There’s nothing like season play and especially me having an opportunity here, at such a great club like Inter Miami, you know eyes are going to be on the club and the club wants to do big things and as do I,” commented Lassiter. “So looking forward to the game against Chicago, [I am] super excited and we have to be ready and I think we will be.”
To see Higuaín and Lassiter in action, come to the team's home opener against Chicago on Saturday, Feb. 26, purchase your tickets here.
