Indiana Vassilev

Indiana Denchev Vassilev (Bulgarian: Индиана Денчев Василев; born February 16, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Premier League team Aston Villa. He has represented the United States at the U17 and U20 levels.[2]

This name uses Eastern Slavic naming customs; the patronymic is Denchev and the family name is Vassilev.
Indiana Vassilev
Personal information
Full name Indiana Denchev Vassilev[1]
Date of birth (2001-02-16) February 16, 2001
Place of birth Savannah, Georgia, United States
Playing position(s) Forward / Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Aston Villa
Number 36
Youth career
2015–2018 IMG Academy
2018–2020 Aston Villa
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020– Aston Villa 4 (0)
National team‡
2015–2017 United States U17 17 (3)
2018 United States U18 2 (1)
2019– United States U20 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of July 9, 2020
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of July 9, 2020

Career

Vassilev started his career at the IMG Academy in Florida. He was first scouted by Aston Villa in November 2016 and then again while representing the United States at the 2017 U17 World Cup. He was finally offered a professional contract in 2018. His coach at the IMG Academy, Kevin Hartman, described him as having great leadership qualities and all the attributes he thought were required for him to play at the top level.[3]

Vassilev started playing for Aston Villa's U23 team in the Premier League 2, scoring 4 goals in his first 6 games of the 2019–20 season. He was rewarded with a place in Aston Villa's first team on January 4, 2020, coming off the bench to replace Marvelous Nakamba in an FA Cup tie against Fulham.[4] On January 18, 2020, Vassilev made his Premier League debut, coming on as a substitute in the 67th minute in a 1–1 draw away to Brighton & Hove Albion.[5][6]

Career statistics
As of match played July 9, 2020[7]
Appearances and goals by club, season, and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Aston Villa 2019–20 Premier League 401010—1[lower-alpha 1]070
Career total 401010001070
  1. Appearance in EFL Trophy

International career

Due to his parents' nationality, Vassilev was eligible to represent both the United States and Bulgaria at international level. He represented the United States at the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup and has since made appearances for the United States U20 national team.[2] At the beginning of 2020, Georgi Dermendzhiev, the Bulgaria national team head coach, stated that Vassilev had politely declined a call up for Bulgaria U-21 team to continue representing the United States.[8]

Personal life

Vassilev is of Bulgarian descent, his parents settling in the United States in the early 1990s. His father, grandfather, and great-grandfather all played soccer in their native Bulgaria.

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References
  1. Indiana Vassilev - Player Info
  2. Clark, Travis (September 29, 2017). "Five potential breakout USMNT players to watch at the U-17 World Cup". FourFourTwo. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  3. Owen, Danny. "Former coach claims Aston Villa newbie Indiana Vassilev has 'boundless' potential". HITC.
  4. Bonnell, Jonny (January 4, 2020). "Aston Villa team news v Fulham: Dean Smith and Scott Parker name FA Cup line-ups". Birmingham Mail.
  5. "Brighton 1-1 Aston Villa". BBC Sport. January 18, 2020.
  6. "Aston Villa's Vassilev Is 2nd-Youngest American to Play in EPL". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  7. USA - I. Vassilev - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway
  8. Дерменджиев: Индиана Василев любезно отказа да играе за България

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