Indiana Vassilev
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Indiana Denchev Vassilev[1] | ||
| Date of birth | February 16, 2001 | ||
| Place of birth | Savannah, Georgia, United States | ||
| Position(s) | Forward / Midfielder | ||
| Team 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) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2015–2017 | United States U17 | 17 | (3) |
| 2018 | United States U18 | 2 | (1) |
| 2019– | United States U20 | 2 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of July 9, 2020 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of July 9, 2020 | |||
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]
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]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Aston Villa | 2019–20 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1[a] | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| Career total | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
- ^ 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.
References
- ^ Indiana Vassilev - Player Info
- ^ a b Clark, Travis (September 29, 2017). "Five potential breakout USMNT players to watch at the U-17 World Cup". FourFourTwo. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Owen, Danny. "Former coach claims Aston Villa newbie Indiana Vassilev has 'boundless' potential". HITC.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Bonnell, Jonny (January 4, 2020). "Aston Villa team news v Fulham: Dean Smith and Scott Parker name FA Cup line-ups". Birmingham Mail.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Brighton 1-1 Aston Villa". BBC Sport. January 18, 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Aston Villa's Vassilev Is 2nd-Youngest American to Play in EPL". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ USA - I. Vassilev - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway
- ^ Дерменджиев: Индиана Василев любезно отказа да играе за България
External links
- Indiana Vassilev at Soccerway
- 2001 births
- Living people
- American people of Bulgarian descent
- Aston Villa F.C. players
- American soccer players
- Soccer players from Georgia (U.S. state)
- United States men's under-20 international soccer players
- Premier League players
- American expatriate soccer players
- American expatriate sportspeople in England
- Expatriate footballers in England
- Sportspeople from Savannah, Georgia