Pick an adjective—any adjective—and try it on Indiana Vassilev for size.
Versatile, gritty, diligent—the list goes on. Ask anyone inside St. Louis CITY SC’s organization and they’ll likely tell you the same.
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“Indy is the type of player that can contribute for us no matter where we ask him to play,” CITY head coach Bradley Carnell says.
That’s why Vassilev has been a major part of St. Louis’ lineup across its first 12 games this season. His hard work, stamina, and speed allow him to succeed at the base of CITY’s midfield, and his skill on the ball makes him dangerous in transition, as well. In Saturday’s 4-0 CITY win over Sporting Kansas City, each of those traits—and more—were on display for the 22-year-old Georgia native.
Vassilev, who scored twice and drew a key penalty to help St. Louis snap its recent skid, became the second CITY player this season to record a multi-goal game in MLS competition.
“I scored two goals, which is awesome,” Vassilev said after the match. “But the most important thing is we have three points and are back on track. I think we played how we wanted to play right from the start of the game.”
That total team effort started with Vassilev, who rewarded his club with a penalty opportunity after drawing contact in the box during the 19th minute. Six minutes after Eduard Löwen converted on the penalty, Vassilev returned to the spotlight. His first goal of the night came while positioned at the 10 spot, as he jumped on a bouncing ball following a crushing Njabulo Blom tackle in the midfield. His second goal of the night came after a marauding, overlapping run forward, when he curled the ball past Kansas City keeper Kendall McIntosh. Vassilev, who has featured in a number of roles this season, was eager and ready to join the attack.
“You’ve seen that the past couple of weeks,” Carnell says about Vassilev’s positioning, “whether it’s Indy back and Edu [Löwen] up, or Edu back and Indy up. We’re confident that both players can contribute in those positions.”
That’s something his teammates appreciate about Vassilev, too.
“Obviously, Indy can contribute no matter where he is out there,” Löwen says. “It goes beyond what happens in games, though. Indy is always there in practice and outside of games, too. He’s just an ideal teammate.”
Having Vassilev take his place further up the pitch is another example of Carnell rewarding a player’s industrious approach. Earlier this year, Vassilev suggested to his coach that a move up the lineup could be beneficial. Recently, Vassilev has earned the opportunity.
“When he joined us, he was like, ‘Coach, I don’t belong deeper in the field,’” Carnell says. “I’m like, ‘Maybe you do.’ But now he’s up higher and he’s doing great things.”
Either way, Vassilev’s willingness to contribute in a number of ways is part of the reason why St. Louis has experienced the success it has so far this season. The fact that CITY was able to acquire the former Aston Villa player from Inter Miami—which was uncertain about his contract situation with the Premier League side—in the MLS expansion draft already feels like a steal for St. Louis.
That’s because Vassilev is quickly becoming a player St. Louis relies on—no matter where on the field he’s positioned.
“Indy has a great engine and he’s a smart soccer player,” Carnell says. “He knows how to surprise the opponent, how to jump them at the right time—not arrive too early, not arrive too late—and he covers a ton of distance. I enjoy working with Indy. We’ve always sort of spoken about all-arounders within our game model, and Indy, you can plug in at six, and all three of the 10 spots that we use up top. He’s a great character, and human being, and soccer player for us in our game model.”
