Indiana Vassilev


Indiana Denchev Vassilev 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.

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.
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. 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.

Career statistics

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. 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.

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.