Indiana Denchev Vassilev (; born February 16, 2001) is an American professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

club

Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the Union began ...

and the

United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

. Vassilev is a product of

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...

who signed him from the

IMG Academy IMG Academy is a University-preparatory school, preparatory boarding school and sports training destination in Bradenton, Florida, United States. The organization is set across over 600 acres (243 ha) and features programs consisting of sport ca ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. Vassilev has represented the United States internationally at a number of youth levels and made his senior debut in January 2025.

Youth Career

Vassilev started his career with Savannah United in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

from 2005 to 2012. He later joined

South Georgia Tormenta FC South Georgia Tormenta FC, or simply Tormenta FC, is an American soccer organization based in Statesboro, Georgia, United States. Founded in 2015, the club fields a professional team in USL League One, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyram ...

Academy (then called Tormenta United) from 2013 - 2015 before switching to

in Florida. His coach at the IMG Academy,

Kevin Hartman Kevin Eugene Hartman (born May 25, 1974) is an American former soccer player who played 17 seasons in Major League Soccer, being on the field for a record 37,260 minutes. Nicknamed ''El Gato'' (Spanish for "the cat") because of his agility, refl ...

, described him as having great leadership qualities and all the attributes he thought were required for him to play at the top level.

Club Career

Aston Villa

He was first scouted by

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. Vassilev started playing for Aston Villa's U23 team in the

Premier League 2 The Professional Development League is a system of Football in England, English youth association football, football leagues that are managed, organised and controlled by the Premier League or by the Football League. It was introduced by the Th ...

, 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 The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

tie against

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

. On January 18, 2020, Vassilev made his

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

debut, coming on as a substitute in the 67th minute in a 1–1 draw away to

Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, commonly referred to as Brighton, is a professional football club based in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Their home gr ...

. He was cited by ESPN as a Premier League youngster set for a break-through heading into the 2020-2021.

Burton Albion

On September 17, 2020, Vassilev signed for

Burton Albion Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club moved its home g ...

EFL League One The English Football League One, known as Sky Bet League One for sponsorship reasons, or simply League One, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League One is the second-highest division of the English Football League an ...

on a season-long loan. He made his Burton debut on September 19, in a 2–1 home victory over

Accrington Stanley Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England, that compete in the , the fourth level of the English football league system. They have spent their entire history playing a ...

Cheltenham Town

Aston Villa recalled Vassilev from Burton Albion on January 28, 2021. The next day, January 29, he joined League Two side

Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1887, ...

on loan until the end of the season. He made his Cheltenham debut on January 30, as a late substitute in a 0–0 away draw against

Forest Green Forest green is a green color said to resemble the color of the trees and other plants in a forest. This web color, when written as computer code in HTML for website color display, is written in the form forestgreen (no space). The first reco ...

. He went on to make 12 appearances for Cheltenham, as they won the League Two title on May 8, 2021 – Vassilev's first trophy.

Inter Miami

On July 7, 2021, Vassilev joined

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanctioned by the United ...

side

Inter Miami Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami (), commonly referred to as Inter Miami, is an American professional soccer club based in the Miami metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. ...

on loan for the remainder of their 2021 season. Vassilev made his MLS debut as a substitute in a 5–0 defeat to

New England Revolution The New England Revolution are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the Greater Boston area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. It is on ...

on July 21, 2021. On August 8, 2021, Vassilev scored his first goal in the MLS – an injury time winner against

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

. He started 7 of 21 games played, scoring 3 goals. Vassilev returned to Aston Villa training in November 2021, after the Inter Miami season had finished. On May 5, 2022, Vassilev returned to Inter Miami for a second season on loan. He started 13 of 24 games played, scoring 2 goals and providing 2 assists. He made the Team of the Week on Week 16. Vassilev was out of contract following Miami's 2022 season.

St. Louis City

On November 12, 2022, Vassilev's MLS rights were acquired by

St. Louis City SC St. Louis City Soccer Club (stylized as St. Louis CITY SC) is an American professional association football, soccer club based in St. Louis. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Con ...

as part of the 2022 MLS Expansion Draft. Inter Miami received $50,000 as part of the deal. A permanent transfer for Vassilev to St. Louis City was confirmed by Aston Villa on January 17, 2023, for an undisclosed fee. On February 26, 2023, Vassilev made his debut for St. Louis in their first ever competitive game, a 3–2 MLS victory over

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

. He started 23 of his 29 games played during the 2023 season, scoring 2 goals and providing 5 assists. Vassilev made the MLS Team of the Matchday on Matchday 14. In the 2024 season, Vassilev started 25 of 34 games played, scoring 3 goals and providing 4 assists.

Philadelphia Union

On February 21, 2025, Vassilev was traded to

in exchange for $1 million ($400,000 in 2025, $600,000 in 2026) in General Allocation Money, with an additional $250,000 depending on meeting certain performance targets. He rejoined his former

manager,

Bradley Carnell Bradley Neil Carnell (born 21 January 1977) is a South African football coach and former footballer who played as a defender. He is currently the head coach of Major League Soccer club Philadelphia Union. Early career Born in Johannesburg, C ...

, at the Union.

International career

Due to his parents' nationality, Vassilev was eligible to represent both the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

at international level. He represented the United States at the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in which he played 4 of 5 games as the team reached the quarterfinals. He also made appearances for the United States men's national U16, U18 and U20 soccer teams. At the beginning of 2020,

Georgi Dermendzhiev Georgi Nikolov Dermendziev (; born 4 January 1955) is a Bulgarian professional football manager and former player who played as a Defender (association football), defender. Coaching career After managing FC Spartak Plovdiv, Spartak Plovdiv as a ...

, the Bulgaria national team head coach, stated that Vassilev had politely declined a call up for the Bulgaria under-21 team to continue representing the United States. In May 2023, the new

national coach,

Mladen Krstajić Mladen Krstajić ( sr-cyr, Младен Крстајић, ; born 4 March 1974) is a Serbian professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back. He represented Serbia and Montenegro at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. From Janua ...

, reached out to Vassilev regarding a potential call-up, but was informed that the player would want to focus on his adaptation to his new club and would discuss a call-up for the next matches. On October 8, 2023, Vassilev was called up to the United States under-23 national team ahead of friendlies against

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, playing in the 4-1 win over Japan. On January 18, 2025, Vassilev made his senior national team debut in a 3-1 win over Venezuela. On January 22, 2025, he made his first senior team start in a 3-0 win over Costa Rica.

Personal life

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

FC Sliven FC Sliven (ФК Сливен) is a Bulgarian football club from the city of Sliven, currently playing in the Third Amateur Football League (Bulgaria), Third League, the third level of Bulgarian football. The club's home ground is the Hadzhi Dimit ...

in Bulgaria and then was a NAIA All-American in 1993 at the

University of Mobile The University of Mobile is a private Baptist university in Prichard, Alabama, in Mobile County. It is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention). History The university was founded in 1961 by the Alabama ...

and later played for the Savannah Rug Ratz in the EISL from 1997-1998. He is named after

Indiana Jones ''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise consisting of five films and a prequel television series, along with games, comics, and tie-in novels, that depicts the adventures of Indiana Jones (character), Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, ...

based on his father's interest in the movie character. His former partner, Ellie Bentley, who moved to the United States from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

when Vassilev joined St. Louis City, was involved in a near fatal hit-and-run in St. Louis on February 25, 2024.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honors

Cheltenham Town *

EFL League Two The English Football League Two, simply known as League Two and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet League Two, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League Two is the fourth division of the English ...

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

St. Louis City SC * Western Conference (regular season):

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

References

External links

* *
Indiana Vassilev - Soccerway

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vassilev, Indiana 2001 births Living people American people of Bulgarian descent Aston Villa F.C. players Burton Albion F.C. players Cheltenham Town F.C. players Inter Miami CF players American men's soccer players Premier League players English Football League players Soccer players from Georgia (U.S. state) United States men's under-20 international soccer players American expatriate men's soccer players American expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate men's footballers in England Sportspeople from Savannah, Georgia Men's association football midfielders Major League Soccer players St. Louis City SC players Philadelphia Union players United States men's under-23 international soccer players 21st-century American sportsmen United States men's international soccer players