Within a matter of minutes on Friday night, Jake LaCava was a member of three teams.
The Milford, Conn. forward went from the Red Bulls to St. Louis CITY SC to Inter Miami CF, during the MLS expansion draft.
St. Louis selected LaCava from the Red Bulls, starting his quick journey.
The expansion team that sent the 2022 USL Championship Young Player of the Year finalist Jake LaCava to Inter Miami for send $150,000 in 2023 General Allocation Money, plus up-to $100,00 in potential additional performance-based GAM to St. Louis.
“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,” Inter Miami CF chief soccer officer and sporting director Chris Henderson said in a statement. “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.”
LaCava, 21, spent the 2022 season on loan with the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the USL Championship. He helped guide the Florida side to a third-place in its conference and to reach the semifinals of the playoffs. He finished the campaign with 12 goals – second on the team – and five assists – tied for fourth on the squad. He made 37 appearances, tied for the most of any Rowdies player, starting 30.