Inter Miami CF announced today it has acquired 23-year-old center back Grant Lillard from the Chicago Fire in exchange for $75,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) ahead of its inaugural season in Major League Soccer.
“Grant is a promising young defender,” said Paul McDonough, Inter Miami CF’s sporting director. “We are in the midst of building our team and adding key pieces to complement our supplemental roster.”
Lillard signed a Homegrown Player contract with the Chicago Fire in January 2018. The defender made 14 appearances for the senior team over two seasons.
Before joining the Chicago Fire, Lillard played NCAA Division I soccer at Indiana University. In four years at the school he made 86 appearances, starting in each one. He also scored 14 goals and registered nine assists in that time. As a senior, he was named a MAC Hermann Trophy finalist, First Team All-America by United Soccer Coaches, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-Big Ten.
Lillard is Inter Miami’s eighth signed player ahead of the 2020 season. Inter Miami will enter the 2019 Expansion Draft with the first overall pick on Nov. 19, when Inter Miami and Nashville SC can select up to five league players. The Club also maintains control of its first and fourth round picks in the SuperDraft.
Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami, also known as Inter Miami CF, will play at its new 19,000 seat Fort Lauderdale Stadium for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Located off Commercial Boulevard and I-95, the stadium stands adjacent to the Club’s new 50,000 square foot state of the art training facility and its seven professional fields, which will be the home for the MLS, Youth Academy and USL League One teams. The facilities will also host international clubs, tournaments and local high school sports teams.
Inter Miami will play its first-ever home match on Saturday, March 14, at 2:30 p.m. ET, against five-time MLS Cup Champions LA Galaxy. Fans can register today for pre-sale access to Inter Miami’s first match in Club history at intermiamicf.com/tickets/home-debut.
