CF Montreal acquired American midfielder Bryce Duke and Costa Rican international Ariel Lassiter from Inter Miami on Wednesday in exchange for Canadian defender Kamal Miller and US$1.3 million in general allocation money (GAM ).
“We are very happy with the arrival of these two players,” said Olivier Renard, vice-president and chief sports officer of CF Montreal in a press release. We had been in contact with Miami for a while for 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-handed player with good speed and scoring ability. He can also play as a striker and he will help us in the attacking aspect. »
The Montreal organization said Renard will meet with members of the media on Thursday, after the training session at Center Nutrilait, to discuss the transaction.
In seven games played this season with Miami, Duke has started four times and had one assist. He was acquired from Los Angeles FC at the start of the 2022 season for US$100,000 from GAM, and he has performed so well that Inter Miami recently signed him on a long-term deal.
Duke was playing in defensive midfield as a replacement for injured captain Gregore, but according to the Miami Herald, Inter Miami are finalizing the transfer of defensive midfielder Dixon Arroyo from Ecuadorian club Emelec. Duke had therefore become a superfluous player for Inter Miami.
For his part, Lassiter joined the Florida club before the 2022 MLS season in return for $100,000 in MAG, and he played 41 games with him.
The 28-year-old already has extensive MLS experience with three different clubs, having made his league debut with the Los Angeles Galaxy (2015-2018), followed by nearly two seasons with the Houston Dynamo (2020 -2021). He also has international experience, having been capped 17 times with the Costa Rican national team.
As for Miller, who is 25 years old, he notably represented Canada at the last FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
CF Montreal has lost its last two games and is currently ranked 15th and last in the Eastern Conference. He will play his first game of the season at Stade Saputo this weekend, against DC United.