Indiana Vassilev

Indiana Denchev Vassilev (Индиана Денчев Василев; born February 16, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club St. Louis City SC. He has represented the United States at the under-17, under-18, under-20, and under-23 levels. He has played in the English Premier League for Aston Villa, as well as spending time on loan at English Football League sides Cheltenham Town and Burton Albion, winning the 2020–21 League Two title at the former.

Aston Villa
Vassilev started his career with Tormenta FC Academy in Statesboro, Georgia from 2013 to 2015 before switching to 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.

2020–21 season: Burton Albion and Cheltenham Town loans
On September 17, 2020, Vassilev signed for Burton Albion of EFL League One on a season-long loan. He made his Burton debut on September 19, in a 2–1 home victory over Accrington Stanley.

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. He made his Cheltenham debut on January 30, as a late substitute in a 0–0 away draw against Forest Green. He went on to make 12 appearances for Cheltenham, as they won the League Two title on May 8, 2021 – Vassilev's first trophy.

2021–: Loans to MLS
On July 7, 2021, Vassilev joined MLS side Inter Miami 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 on July 21, 2021. On August 8, 2021, Vassilev scored his first goal in the MLS – an injury time winner against Nashville. 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. Vassilev's contract option was declined by Miami following their 2022 season.

St. Louis City
On November 12, 2022, Vassilev's MLS rights were acquired by St. Louis City SC 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.

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 national under-20 team. At the beginning of 2020, Georgi Dermendzhiev, 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 Bulgaria national coach, Mladen Krstajić, 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 and Japan.

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.

Vassilev's former girlfriend, Ellie Bentley, who moved with him to St. Louis from the UK, was seriously injured after being hit by a car following a shootout on a St. Louis street. She was treated in the ICU for multiple injuries. Bentley's lawyer described that she had hidden beneath a car when shooting broke out when the owner of the car had tried to escape the scene - and ran Bentley over, dragging her under the car for two blocks. The lawyer claimed that the driver of the vehicle knew Bentley was there before attempting to drive away. The alleged gunman and the driver of the car were both arrested. Bentley came out of ICU in late March 2024, but described that she had a long road to recovery ahead of her.

Honors
Cheltenham Town
 * EFL League Two: 2020–21