Among Costa Rica’s leading scorers this season are Carolinian Roy Lassiter and Californian David Quesada.
They took different paths to Costa Rica, but Roy Lassiter and David Quesada’s success has led to calls from the U.S. national team.
After his last season at North Carolina State, Roy Lassiter joined the U.S. national team camp in January of 1992 and played 29 minutes against the Commonwealth of Independent States. Then he broke his leg in practice while preparing for a second game against the USSR’s fleeting successor.
“Bruce Murray broke my leg.” Lassiter said. “Accidentally, of course. And he was my roommate!”
During his two-month recovery, Lassiter received a call from Costa Rican club Carmen.
“I have no idea how they got my name,” Lassiter said. “They paid for my trip down there, and I signed a contract.”
In the 1993-94 season, Lassiter played on the wing, scored seven goals and at season’s end was bought by Alajuela, one of Costa Rica’s traditional powers.
This season, at center forward, he is the league’s second leading scorer with 17 goals.
Quesada — born and raised in Southern California — had finished playing two seasons at San Diego State and was set to transfer to UCLA. In the summer of 1992 he accompanied his father — a Costa Rican native — on a drive to Alajuela, a city of 50,000 that lies 12 miles from the capital of San Jose.
The drive on Inter-American highway through Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua took eight days and went smoothly.
“My father wanted to bring a car to have at his house in Alajuela,” Quesada said.
To stay in shape during his vacation, Quesada worked out with Alajuela. That resulted in a pro contract offer.
“I had to call [UCLA] coach Sigi Schmid,” Quesada said, “and tell him I wasn’t coming. I felt bad, but I always wanted to play pro soccer.”
Quesada sat on the bench his first season. Then he was loaned out to Carmen and playing time increased. San Ramon bought him for the 1994-95 season, and Quesada led the team in scoring with 15 goals.
Both Quesada and Lassiter received invitations from U.S. coach Steve Sampson to join the U.S. for its May 28 game against Costa Rica in Tampa, Fla.
“When players are scoring so consistently,” Sampson said, “you have to give them a look.”
Quesada will go for sure — San Ramon’s season is over — but Lassiter will be unavailable if Alajuela prevails in a second-leg semifinal match against San Carlos May 21. The first leg ended in a 1-1 tie and the winner meets Saprissa or Perez Zeledon in the final.
Lassiter will play at least one more season for Alajuela. It offered him a $60,000 signing bonus to stay for the 1995-96 instead of accepting offers from Mexican clubs.
Soccer players’ salaries in Costa Rica average about $500 a month, and many First Division players hold other jobs. But clubs like Alajuela and Saprissa pay more. Lassiter makes $4,000 a month, has been provided a house, and Alajuela’s players will get a $5,000 bonus each for the title.
Another bonus comes to the player who scores the game’s last goal. He gets $300 — about the average monthly Costa Rican wage.
Quesada earns enough to live well, but also works at the bed & breakfast his father opened a year ago.
Lassiter says the play is physical yet skillful and similar to Colombian soccer — possession in the midfield and explosive up front — and compares its quality to the Mexican Second Division.
Lassiter’s scoring spree has led to stardom.
“They treated me like a king when I arrived,” he said. “now they treat me even better.”
Quesada said, “Roy is known as one of the fastest players in the league.”
by Soccer America Senior Editor <Mike Woitalla/I>