Grant Lillard

BIOGRAPHY

Grant Lillard was born on December 5, 1995 in Scottsdale, Arizona. He is a defender in Major League Soccer.

Lillard grew up in Hinsdale, Illinois, playing soccer for the Chicago Fire Academy (U16 and U18). While living in Arizona, he played soccer for the Scottsdale Soccer Club 96 Blackhawks, winning Arizona State Championships in 2009, 2010, and 2011.

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.

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. Lillard made his professional debut on April 7, 2018 as a 64th minute substitution in a 1–0 win over the Columbus Crew SC. 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.
On August 14, 2020, Lillard was traded to Columbus Crew in exchange for a third round 2021 MLS SuperDraft pick. Lillard failed to make a single appearance during the 2020 season for Columbus, however, he was part of the squad that won the 2020 MLS Cup. On December 14, 2020, Columbus announced that it had exercised Lillard's option for the 2021 season.