Grant Lillard (born December 5, 1995) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Loudoun United in the USL Championship.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Grant Lillard[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1995-12-05) December 5, 1995 (age 26) | ||
| Place of birth | Scottsdale, Arizona, United States | ||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Loudoun United | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| 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) |
| 2020–2021 | Columbus Crew | 0 | (0) |
| 2022– | Loudoun United | 16 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of August 23, 2022 | |||
Lillard moved to Hinsdale, Illinois and enrolled at Hinsdale Central, playing soccer for the Chicago Fire Academy (U16 and U18).[2] 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.[3]
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.[4]
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.[5]
Lillard made his professional debut on April 7, 2018 as a 64th minute substitution in a 1–0 win over the Columbus Crew SC.[6] He made his first professional start on April 14, 2018 in a 1–0 loss to the LA Galaxy.
On November 14, 2019, Lillard was traded to Inter Miami in exchange for $75,000 in General Allocation Money.[7]
On August 14, 2020, Lillard was traded to Columbus Crew in exchange for a third round 2021 MLS SuperDraft pick.[8] Lillard failed to make a single appearance during the 2020 season for Columbus,[9] however, he was part of the squad that won the 2020 MLS Cup.[10] On December 14, 2020, Columbus announced that it had exercised Lillard's option for the 2021 season.[11] Following the 2021 season, Columbus opted to decline their contract option on Lillard.[12]
On January 28, 2022, Lillard signed with USL Championship side Loudoun United, the lower-league affiliate of D.C. United.[13]
| 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 | ||
| 2021 | MLS | 0 | 0 | — | 1[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 0 | ||
Columbus Crew
Loudoun United FC – current squad | |
|---|---|
|
Soccer America Men's Player of the Year | |
|---|---|
|
Big Ten Conference Men's Soccer Player of the Year | |
|---|---|
| Player of the Year | |
| Offensive Player of the Year | |
| Defensive Player of the Year | |
| Midfielder of the Year | |
| Goalkeeper of the Year | |
2017 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer First-Team All-America | |
|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | |
| Defenders | |
| Midfielders | |
| Forwards | |