After scoring 17 goals for the LA Galaxy II over the past 12 months, Ariel Lassiter earned his first start in Major League Soccer on Saturday as the Galaxy played to a 0-0 draw against Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place.

While Lassiter wasn’t able to replicate his performance the previous Saturday with Los Dos – which saw him earn USL Team of the Week honors for a two-goal game against Arizona United SC – the 21-year-old put in a solid shift before being substituted in the 66th minute.

“I felt good,” Lassiter told LA Galaxy Insider Adam Serrano. “I was able to get in there and make my first start. Hopefully, this is the first of many. We still need to gel. They need to continue to learn my runs, and I need to learn to play to their strengths, and what they’re going to do on and off the ball. I think it’s something that over time is going to get better and better.”

Lassiter finished the game tied for a team-high with three shots as he tried to use his speed to get in behind the Whitecaps’ defense. Playing alongside fellow former Galaxy II teammates Daniel Steres and Dave Romney, Lassiter’s energy drew praise from the side’s veterans.

“Ari was great,” Mike Magee told Serrano. “He hustled and ran; I don’t think we played to his strengths. He did well. The kid has an incredibly bright future, and today, we should have found a way to get him in behind a little more. It would have played into his strengths better.”

Following in the footsteps of his father Roy Lassiter, who made 154 starts in his 179 regular-season appearances in MLS between 1996 and 2002, Ariel has plenty of time to make his mark in LA. With Robbie Keane out long-term after knee surgery last week, and Giovani Dos Santos still on the way back from injury, Lassiter could get another chance to lead the line this Sunday as the Galaxy host the Portland Timbers in the highest-profile game in MLS this weekend.

Should that chance arise, Lassiter will be looking to add a first MLS goal to his resume.

“I’m getting into good spots, and I think that’s the most important thing. The next thing is to finish. I had one or two opportunities, and as a player, I’m my hardest critic,” Lassiter told Serrano. “I could have done better, but it’s a start, and it’s the first of many. I want to continue to get out there and show my worth, and show the team that I’m ready for this.”