Inter Miami loses Indiana Vassilev to MLS Expansion Draft, adds Jake LaCava in trade
Inter Miami lost one young attacking player on Friday night but gained another.
Miami midfielder/winger Indiana Vassilev was selected by Saint Louis CITY SC in the second round of the 2022 MLS Expansion Draft. In return, Inter Miami received $50,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM).
Later in the draft, Inter Miami acquired 21-year-old forward Jake LaCava, whom Saint Louis had taken from the New York Red Bulls. In exchange, Inter Miami will send Saint Louis $150,000 in 2023 GAM, plus up to $100,000 in potential additional performance-based money.
LaCava, a Connecticut native, spent last season on loan with the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the USL Championship league. He scored 12 goals, second most on the team, and added five assists. He made 37 appearances for the team and started 30 of them. The previous two seasons he scored 11 goals and had eight assists with New York Red Bulls II.
In addition to brief stints in Denmark and Portugal, LaCava spent some time at the Barca Academy in Casa Grande, Arizona. Miami midfielder Bryce Duke came through that same academy.
“We’re excited to add a promising young player like Jake to our group and feel he’ll be a good fit for what we are building here,” said Inter Miami chief soccer officer and sporting director Chris Henderson. “He had a very strong season in the USL Championship, and we believe in his talent. We look forward to seeing him develop with us.”
Vassilev, who had been on loan to Miami from English club Aston Villa, had two goals and two assists in 25 games for Miami this season. Both goals came on June 25, when Vassilev became the first player in MLS history to score both a game-tying and game-winning goal after entering the game in the 80th minute or later, as he netted a brace to earn a 3-2 win over Minnesota United.
This story was originally published November 12, 2022 at 2:02 PM.