Grant Lillard
Grant Lillard (born December 5, 1995) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Columbus Crew SC in MLS.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Grant Lillard[1] | ||
| Date of birth | December 5, 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Scottsdale, Arizona, United States | ||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Columbus Crew | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2012–2014 | Chicago Fire | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2017 | Indiana Hoosiers | 86 | (14) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2019 | Chicago Fire | 12 | (0) |
| 2019 | → Lansing Ignite (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2020 | Inter Miami | 0 | (0) |
| 2020– | Columbus Crew | 0 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of October 7, 2019 | |||
Early life
Youth
Lillard grew up in Hinsdale, Illinois, playing soccer for the Chicago Fire Academy (U16 and U18). While living in Arizona, he played soccer for the Scottsdale Soccer Club 96 Blackhawks, winning Arizona State Championships in 2009, 2010, and 2011. One of his close childhood friends is Ryan Scales. Scales was one of the all-time leading scorers for the Hinsdale Central High School Men's Basketball program.[2]
College
Lillard attended Indiana University, where he played college soccer as a center back for the Hoosiers from 2014–2017, tallying a total of 14 goals and 9 assists in 86 appearances. During his time at Indiana, Lillard was a three-time First-Team All-Big Ten, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and a First-Team All-American.[3]
Professional career
Chicago Fire
On January 10, 2018, Lillard signed a one-year contract with Chicago Fire as a Homegrown Player, with options for the 2019 and 2020 seasons.[4]
Lillard made his professional debut on April 7, 2018 as a 64th minute substitution in a 1–0 win over the Columbus Crew SC.[5] He made his first professional start on April 14, 2018 in a 1–0 loss to the LA Galaxy.
Inter Miami
On November 14, 2019, Lillard was traded to Inter Miami in exchange for $75,000 in General Allocation Money.[6]
Columbus Crew
On August 14, 2020, Lillard was traded to Columbus Crew SC in exchange for a third round 2021 MLS SuperDraft pick.[7] Lillard failed to make a single appearance during the 2020 season for Columbus,[8] however, he was part of the squad that won the 2020 MLS Cup.[9] On December 14, 2020, Columbus announced that it had exercised Lillard's option for the 2021 season.[10]
Career statistics
Club
- As of the end of 2020 season[11]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Chicago Fire | 2018 | MLS | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 2019 | MLS | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 | ||
| Lansing Ignite (loan) | 2019 | USL | 4 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| Inter Miami | 2020 | MLS | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Columbus Crew | 2020 | MLS | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 0 | ||
- Appearance(s) in Leagues Cup
References
- "Grant Lillard MLS Bio". MLSSoccer.com.
- "Grant Lillard". iuhoosiers.com.
- "Grant Lillard". mlssoccer.com.
- "Chicago Fire sign Indiana University star Grant Lillard to Homegrown deal". MLSsoccer.com. November 15, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
- Phil West Apr 8, 2018 (April 8, 2018). "Recap: Chicago Fire vs. Columbus Crew SC 04/08/2018 | Matchcenter". Matchcenter.mlssoccer.com. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
- "Inter Miami acquire Grant Lillard from Chicago Fire". MLSsoccer.com. November 14, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2020/08/14/columbus-crew-sc-acquire-grant-lillard-trade-inter-miami
- "USA - Columbus Crew - Results, fixtures, squad, statistics, photos, videos and news - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- Straus, Brian. "Resilient at Their Core, Crew Are Fitting MLS Cup Champions in 2020". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- "Columbus Crew announces roster, contract decisions for 2021 after MLS Cup championship". www.msn.com. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- Grant Lillard at Soccerway. Retrieved January 5, 2021.