Named for Hollywood icon, Vassilev crusades for role on US national team

Indiana Vassilev's life had a Hollywood beginning.

“My dad loves and still loves to this day the Indiana Jones franchise,” said the 23-year-old American attacker, named after the famous film figure. “It took a lot of convincing my mom, but finally she gave in.”

Five years after his Premier League debut for Aston Villa, Vassilev is with the U.S. national team for the first time heading into friendlies against Venezuela and Costa Rica. He could debut as a substitute Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and is likely to start Wednesday at Orlando.

Indy, as almost everyone calls him, left an indelible impression when he reported to the team on Jan. 7. He arrived at The Dalmar hotel and found the coaching staff sitting around a table.

“If you could imagine, me wearing Birkenstocks with black shorts, black hoodie, and I was holding a Whole Foods bag because I travel with my soccer shoes and socks,” he said. “I’m sure they were probably thinking: Who is this tourist who’s walking into the lunchroom?”

Vassilev figures to be used in a wide role by the Americans. Because the matches are not on FIFA international dates, no Europe-based players are with the U.S. team.

“I am happy with him,” U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said Friday.

Vassilev was born in Savannah, Georgia, and became a third generation soccer player in a family with a Bulgarian background. He attended the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, played alongside Tim Weah and Josh Sargent at the 2017 Under-17 World Cup and joined Villa's under-18 team the following month.

After the Brazilian striker Wesley tore an ACL at Burnley on New Year's Day, Vassilev was given his Villa first-team debut in the FA Cup at Fulham on Jan. 4, 2020.

“We were then looking to recruit a new center-forward,” said Dean Smith, Villa's manager at the time and now coach of Charlotte. “I like the lad. He was a willing runner, great appetite for the game.”

Vassilev appeared in the League Cup four days later and that Jan. 18 at Brighton became at 18 years, 11 months, the second-youngest American to appear in the Premier League behind Jonathan Spector for Manchester United in 2004.

“It was definitely a roller-coaster. It’s not easy to make your debut and it’s not easy to become a professional athlete," Vassilev said. “But what’s even harder is keeping that nametag of: You are a professional athlete. So staying at that level and continuing to progress and get better I think is even even more difficult than making your debut.”

He played in just three more Premier League games and his first-team Villa career totaled 79 minutes over six substitute appearances. He was loaned to third-tier Burton Albion for the first half of the 2020-21 season and to fourth-tier Cheltenham Town for the second half, a 5-foot-8 winger in leagues known for physical play.

“It was tough to not be discouraged and to not get down on myself,” Vassilev said. “Now I look back at it and I think, wow, what a great learning experience that was. And if I don’t want to feel that way again, I need to do X, Y, and Z. I need to work harder. I need to stay after training, I need to eat right.”

He was loaned to Major League Soccer's Inter Miami from the summer of 2021 through the 2022 season and scored five goals, and then was selected in the MLS expansion draft by St. Louis, which acquired his rights from Villa and signed him to a two-year contract with two club option years.

He scored five more league goals for his new team and about a month after the final game of the season received an email notification he made the national team preliminary roster. A training camp invite followed in December.

“He’s a great character. He’s got lots of jokes,” American captain Tim Ream said. “Hilarious individual.”

Vassilev's dad, Dencho, and mom, Margarita, planned to drive down from Georgia for the game. Dencho was a first team NAIA All-American in 1993 at the University of Mobile and became a forward for the Savannah Rug Ratz, an Eastern Indoor Soccer League team in 1997 and '98.

Indiana said his family caught flak from relatives because Bulgarian convention is names ending with “A” are for women.

“`How are you naming your son Indiana? ... That’s such a feminine name,'” he said was the repeated refrain to his parents.

”So that was a little bit of a thing for a little bit, but everybody got over it," he concluded. "I’m happy I’m Indiana. I think it’s an awesome name."

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