Lee Nguyen (, born October 7, 1986) 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 ...

coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach for

Seattle Reign FC Seattle Reign FC is an American professional soccer team based in Seattle, Washington, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Founded in 2012, it is one of eight inaugural members of the NWSL. Since June 2024, the Reign ar ...

of the

National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional Association football, soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system#Women's leagues, United States soccer league system (alongside the USL Supe ...

. Nguyen's 15-year playing career spanned the Netherlands, Denmark, Vietnam, and the United States, where he appeared in over 250 league matches in

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 ...

. After winning two

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...

titles and a Johan Cruijff Shield with

PSV Eindhoven Philips Sport Vereniging (; ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional association football, football department, which has pla ...

, Nguyen spent two seasons in Vietnam before moving to Major League soccer, where he led the

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 ...

to the 2014 MLS Cup final and won the

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

Supporters' Shield The Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system. The Supporters' Shield has been annually awarded at the MLS Supporters' Summit since 199 ...

title with

Los Angeles FC Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Los Angeles. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. It was establi ...

. Nguyen returned to Vietnam to sign for Ho Chi Minh City in 2021.

Youth and college

Nguyen graduated from Plano East Senior High School in his native

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

and was named National Gatorade Boys Soccer High School Player of the Year in 2005. He played one season for

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

in 2005, producing five goals and 12 assists in 22 games and was selected as 2005 National Freshman of the Year by

Soccer America ''Soccer America'', the oldest soccer-specific media publisher in the United States, was founded in 1971 by Clay Berling in Albany, California. The magazine is headquartered in Oakland, California. History The magazine was founded by Clay Ber ...

and Soccer Times. Nguyen was also a first team All-

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...

selection and Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

Club career

PSV Eindhoven

Nguyen began his professional career by signing a three-and-a-half-year deal with Dutch

team

in February 2006, but after making just two appearances with the club's senior team, he moved on to get more first-team time somewhere else.

Randers FC

On January 31, 2008, Nguyen signed with the

Danish Superliga The Danish Superliga (, ) is a professional association football league in Denmark and the highest level of the Danish football league system. The league is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams relegated. It is the current ...

club

Randers FC Randers FC () is a professional association football, football club based in Randers, East Jutland metropolitan area, East Jutland, that plays in the Danish Superliga, the top flight of the Danish football league system. Founded on 1 January 200 ...

until the summer of 2009. He made 23 appearances with the club in parts of two seasons.

Hoàng Anh Gia Lai

With Nguyen still hoping to remain in Europe but ready for a change of scenery,

V.League 1 The V.League 1 (), also called LPBank V.League 1 for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional football league in Vietnam, controlled by the Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company (VPF). It is contested by 14 clubs who play each ...

club Hoàng Anh Gia Lai, based in the centrally located city of

Pleiku Pleiku is a city in central Vietnam, located in the Central Highlands region. It is the capital of the Gia Lai Province. Many years ago, it was inhabited primarily by the Bahnar and Jarai ethnic groups, sometimes known as the Montagnards or De ...

, gave his Vietnamese father a contract offer in January 2009 to pass along to his son. The offer was much more lucrative than what he could have hoped for anywhere else, but by accepting it he took himself completely off the United States Men's National Team radar at the age of 23 after just three appearances. Nguyen became the Vietnamese league's first American player when he signed with Hoàng Anh Gia Lai on January 17, 2009. He scored 13 goals and 16 assists in 24 appearances in all competitions for the club in 2009. Through club partnership connections, Nguyen spent the middle of 2009 training with English club

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

in the hopes of earning another contract in Europe.

Becamex Binh Duong

In January 2010, Nguyen signed with another

club, Becamex Binh Duong F.C. in

Thủ Dầu Một Thủ Dầu Một () is a municipal city of Ho Chi Minh City, located at around . The city has an area of 118.91 km², with a population of 373.105 (as of 2024), and is located on the left bank of the Saigon River, upstream from the city. It ...

. Injuries limited his impact as he scored just one goal in five appearances for the club in one and a half years. His desire to play for the U.S. was rekindled, however, by the August 2011 hiring of head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, whose style Nguyen hoped would better fit his midfield skills. Despite a large new contract offer in Vietnam, he decided to return to the U.S.

New England Revolution

Nguyen signed a multi-year deal with

on December 7, 2011, and was originally allocated to the

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The MLS ite ...

in a weighted lottery. He made three preseason appearances with Vancouver before being waived on March 1, 2012. On March 2, 2012, he was selected by the New England Revolution with the second overall pick in the MLS Waiver Draft. Nguyen made 30 regular-season appearances for the Revolution in

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, including 27 starts. He finished second on the team in scoring with five goals (two assists) and was voted the Midnight Riders Man of Year by the fans. His second career MLS goal—and second goal of the game against Vancouver on May 12—was one of four finalists for the

MLS Goal of the Year Award The MLS Goal of the Year Award (currently commercially termed "AT&T MLS Goal of the Year") is handed out annually since its inception in 1996 to a player in Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association footbal ...

. He was named MLS Player of the Week for matchweek 10 following that performance, and also named Revolution Team Most Valuable Player for 2012. In

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, Nguyen appeared in 33 league matches, scoring four goals and recording seven assists, helping the Revolution reach the playoffs for the first time since

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

. Nguyen had a banner year in the 2014 New England Revolution season, leading the Revolution in scoring with 18 goals and 5 assists (the most ever by a Revolution midfielder in an MLS season), and again being voted the Midnight Riders Man of the Year. He was named Revolution Team MVP, MLS Player of the Month for October, a 2014 MLS-All Star, and an MLS "Best XI" selection. For his contributions to the team—including 9 game-winning goals in the regular season—Nguyen was named as a finalist for the 2014 version of the

Major League Soccer MVP Award The Landon Donovan MVP Award is an annual award for Major League Soccer players. It is voted on by media, MLS players, and club management and is given to the player deemed the most valuable player in the league each season. From 1996 to 2007, ...

along with

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The club was established on ...

forward

Obafemi Martins Obafemi Akinwunmi Martins (born 28 October 1984) is a Nigerian former professional association football, footballer who played as a forward (association football), forward. After leaving Nigeria for Italy at age 16, he played for a number of L ...

and

Los Angeles Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...

forward

Robbie Keane Robert David Keane (born 8 July 1980) is an Irish professional football coach and former player who played as a striker and is currently the head coach of Ferencváros. Keane served as captain of the Republic of Ireland from March 2006 until h ...

. Nguyen's goal against the

Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Established on December 15, 2005, the club was founded after their fo ...

(which was named MLS Goal of the Week for matchweek 32) also made it to the final round of voting for the 2014 version of the

. He was named MLS Player of the Week for matchweek 32. Nguyen led the team in assists and finished second in team scoring during the 2015 season. During the 2016 season, Nguyen became the Revolution's team captain. He led the team in assists, with 10, and finished 3rd in goals scored, with 6. He additionally led the team in matches started, with 33, and minutes played. His week 18 goal against Columbus Crew on July 9 won MLS Goal of the Week. In August 2017, The Revolution reportedly rejected a $1 million bid for Nguyen from

Israeli Premier League The Israeli Premier League (, Ligat HaAl, ) is a professional association football league in Israel and the highest level of the Israeli football league system. The league is contested by 14 clubs, and operates on a system of promotion and rele ...

side Maccabi Haifa. He would finish the 2017 season first in assists, and second in goals scored, with 15 and 11 respectively. He again led the team in games started (tied with Andrew Farrell. Citing frustration over his contract (he was at the time the seventh-highest paid player on the team, making $500,000, despite ranking fifth in the league in over-all goals over the previous four seasons), Nguyen reportedly demanded a trade at the end of the 2017 season on three separate occasions. The dispute would ultimately lead to his sitting-out the team's pre-season training camp.

Los Angeles FC

On May 1, 2018, New England traded Nguyen to

in exchange for $350,000 in General Allocation Money and $350,000 in Targeted Allocation Money. On July 26, 2018, Nguyen scored on a free kick leading Los Angeles FC to a 2–0 lead over

LA Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...

. The match ultimately ended 2–2 after a second-half comeback by their crosstown rival.

Inter Miami CF

On November 19, 2019, Nguyen was selected by MLS expansion side

Inter Miami CF 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 (M ...

in the 2019 MLS Expansion Draft.

Return to New England Revolution

Nguyen was traded back to the Revolution on September 8, 2020, for a fourth-round selection in the

2021 MLS SuperDraft The 2021 MLS SuperDraft was the 22nd edition of the SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held every January prior to the start of the MLS season. The 2020 SuperDraft was the first held exclusively via conference call a ...

and up to $50,000 in General Allocation Money. Nguyen made 12 appearances for the Revolution in 2020, starting 8 matches and scoring one goal, an 80th-minute penalty against NYCFC on October 11.

Ho Chi Minh City FC

On December 25, 2020,

Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

announced the signing of Lee Nguyen. On August 8, 2021, Nguyen left Ho Chi Minh City to return in Texas as the 2021 V.League 1 season ended early due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam The COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam has resulted in confirmed cases of COVID-19 and deaths. The number of confirmed cases is the highest total in Southeast Asia, and the 13th highest in the world. Hanoi is the most affected locale with 1,649,654 ...

Return to soccer and 2nd stint at Ho Chi Minh City

After retiring from playing and becoming the assistant coach of the

Washington Spirit The Washington Spirit are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It is a continuation of the D.C. United Women of the USL W-League (1995� ...

in early 2022, on August 6, 2022, Nguyen came out of retirement and return to play for Ho Chi Minh City.

The Soccer Tournament

In 2023, Nguyen played in The Soccer Tournament with ZALA FFF.

International career

After playing for several United States junior level squads, namely the under-18s, under-20s, and under-23s, including being the only high school player named to the under-20 roster for the

2005 FIFA World Youth Championship The 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship was the 15th edition of the FIFA World Youth Championship. It took place in the Netherlands between 10 June and 2 July 2005. Venues Qualification The following 24 teams qualified for the 2005 FIFA Worl ...

, Nguyen made his debut for the senior United States Men's National Team in a friendly against

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

on June 2, 2007. He made two other appearances with the team in 2007 as part of the Copa América roster. On November 10, 2014,

Jürgen Klinsmann Jürgen Klinsmann (; born 30 July 1964) is a German professional Association football, football manager and former player. He played for several prominent clubs in Europe including VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan, AS Monaco FC, Monaco, Tottenham Hot ...

called up Nguyen for the first time in seven years for friendlies against Colombia and the Republic of Ireland, and again on January 9, 2015, for the training camp ahead of the friendlies against Chile and Panama. Nguyen made his reappearance with the USMNT as a substitute in a friendly match against Costa Rica on October 13, 2015.

Coaching career

On October 6, 2021, Nguyen worked with the Washington Spirit and went on to win the NWSL Championship. Following that season, he announced his retirement from professional soccer, and re-signed with the Washington Spirit as an assistant coach. On June 14, 2023, the Kansas City Current announced the hiring of Nguyen as an assistant coach under interim head coach Caroline Sjöblom. On January 9, 2024, Angel City FC announced they had hired Nguyen as an assistant coach to work under head coach Becki Tweed. He joined

as an assistant coach in February 2025.

Personal life

Nguyen holds dual citizenship of the United States and Vietnam. Lee Nguyen's father, Pham Nguyen, fled to the United States a few years before the

fall of Saigon The fall of Saigon, known in Vietnam as Reunification Day (), was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by North Vietnam on 30 April 1975. As part of the 1975 spring offensive, this decisive event led to the collapse of the So ...

, precisely in 1973, and later settled in

Richardson, Texas Richardson is a city in Dallas and Collin counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, the city had a total population of 119,469. Richardson is an inner suburb of the city of Dallas. It is home to the Universit ...

, where Lee was born. Pham also played soccer in his youth. In 2012, Nguyen was named one of

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

's 25 Most Stylish Bostonians.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honors

;PSV Eindhoven *

: 2006–07, 2007–08 *

Johan Cruijff Shield The Johan Cruyff Shield (, ) is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national football ...

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

;Los Angeles FC *

;Individual * Gatorade High School Soccer Player of the Year: 2005 *

MLS Best XI The MLS Best XI is an annual acknowledgment of the best eleven players in Major League Soccer. The selection is determined by a collection of media, players, and MLS club technical staffs. Winners Appearances by player The following players ...

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

References

External links

* * *
The Soccer Tournament stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nguyen, Lee 1986 births Living people American sportspeople of Vietnamese descent Sportspeople from Richardson, Texas Soccer players from Texas American men's soccer players Men's association football midfielders Indiana Hoosiers men's soccer players Ajax Orlando Prospects players PSV Eindhoven players Randers FC players Hoang Anh Gia Lai FC players Becamex Binh Duong FC players New England Revolution players Los Angeles FC players Inter Miami CF players Ho Chi Minh City FC players Eredivisie players Danish Superliga players V.League 1 players Major League Soccer players United States men's youth international soccer players United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's under-23 international soccer players United States men's international soccer players 2007 Copa América players American expatriate men's soccer players American expatriate sportspeople in Vietnam American expatriate sportspeople in Denmark American expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands Expatriate men's footballers in Vietnam Expatriate men's footballers in Denmark Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands Washington Spirit non-playing staff Kansas City Current non-playing staff