Indiana Vassilev

Indiana Denchev Vassilev (Bulgarian: Индиана Денчев Василев; born February 16, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for League Two team Cheltenham Town, on loan from Premier League team Aston Villa. He has represented the United States at the under-17 and under-20 levels.[3]

In this Eastern Slavic name, the patronymic is Denchev and the family name is Vassilev.

Indiana Vassilev
Personal information
Full name Indiana Denchev Vassilev[1]
Date of birth (2001-02-16) February 16, 2001
Place of birth Savannah, Georgia, United States
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2]
Position(s) Forward, midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Cheltenham Town
(on loan from Aston Villa)
Number 29
Youth career
2015–2018 IMG Academy
2018–2020 Aston Villa
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020– Aston Villa 4 (0)
2020–2021 → Burton Albion (loan) 12 (0)
2021– → Cheltenham Town (loan) 1 (0)
National team‡
2015–2017 United States U17 17 (3)
2018 United States U18 2 (1)
2019– United States U20 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of January 30, 2021
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of July 9, 2020

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.[4]

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.[5] 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.[6][7]

On September 17, 2020, Vassilev signed for Burton Albion of EFL League One on a season-long loan.[8] He made his Burton debut on September 19, in a 2–1 home victory over Accrington Stanley.[9]

Aston Villa recalled Vassilev from Burton Albion on January 28, 2021. The next day, January 29, he joined League Two side Cheltenham Town on loan until the end of the season.[10] He made his Cheltenham debut on January 30, as a late substitute in a 0–0 away draw against Forest Green.[11]

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 Under-17 World Cup and has since made appearances for the United States under-20 national team.[3] At the beginning of 2020, Georgi Dermendzhiev, the Bulgaria national team head coach, stated that Vassilev had politely declined a call up for Bulgaria under-21 team to continue representing the United States.[12]

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.

Career statistics
As of match played January 30, 2021[13]
Appearances and goals by club, season, and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Aston Villa 2019–20 Premier League 401010—1[lower-alpha 1]070
2020–21 Premier League 000000—1[lower-alpha 1]111
Total 401010002181
Burton Albion (loan) 2020–21 League One 1200000—00120
Cheltenham Town (loan) 2020–21 League Two 100000—0010
Career total 17010100021211
  1. Appearances in EFL Trophy

References
  1. Indiana Vassilev - Player Info
  2. "Indiana Vassilev". www.burtonalbionfc.co.uk. Burton Albion F.C. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  3. Clark, Travis (September 29, 2017). "Five potential breakout USMNT players to watch at the U-17 World Cup". FourFourTwo. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  4. Owen, Danny. "Former coach claims Aston Villa newbie Indiana Vassilev has 'boundless' potential". HITC.
  5. Bonnell, Jonny (January 4, 2020). "Aston Villa team news v Fulham: Dean Smith and Scott Parker name FA Cup line-ups". Birmingham Mail.
  6. "Brighton 1-1 Aston Villa". BBC Sport. January 18, 2020.
  7. "Aston Villa's Vassilev Is 2nd-Youngest American to Play in EPL". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  8. "Vassilev joins Burton on loan". Aston Villa Official Site. September 17, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  9. "Burton Albion 2-1 Accrington Stanley". BBC Sport. September 19, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  10. "Aston Villa youngster heads in on loan". www.ctfc.com. January 29, 2021.
  11. Palmer, Jon (January 30, 2021). "Forest Green v Cheltenham Town RECAP: Derby draw at New Lawn as 10-man Rovers shut out Robins". GloucestershireLive. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  12. Дерменджиев: Индиана Василев любезно отказа да играе за България
  13. USA - I. Vassilev - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway
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