
City SC midfielder Indiana Vassilev holds on to his protective face mask while being challenged by LA Galaxy defender John Nelson on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024, at CityPark.
City SC midfielder Indiana Vassilev has gotten his first invitation to a full U.S. men’s national team camp, being selected for the group that will start training Tuesday in Florida for two friendly matches.
Also selected for the camp by new U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino are two St. Louis natives: goalkeeper Patrick Schulte of Columbus and defender Tim Ream of Charlotte.
Vassilev’s selection means he will miss the start of City SC camp, scheduled for Jan. 13 at the recently renamed Energizer Park. The U.S. camp, which starts in Fort Lauderdale, runs through Jan. 22. The U.S. will face Venezuela on Jan. 18 in Fort Lauderdale and then take on Costa Rica on Jan. 22 in Orlando. By that time, City SC will have relocated to the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, near Tampa, for the next part of its camp.
This will be the second year in a row City SC has had a player invited to the January camp. Aziel Jackson, since traded to Columbus, went last season. Those two are the only players called in to the U.S. national team while playing for City SC.
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Because the January camp does not fall during a FIFA international window, most European-based players are not available for selection. This year, 23 of the 24 players invited play in MLS. The other, forward Matko Miljevic, is currently without a club.
Vassilev, who is listed as a forward on the U.S. roster, was invited to the first camp for the U.S. Olympic team, for players younger than 23, in preparation for the 2024 Games but was hurt and saw limited action and was not called back for any subsequent camps.
He was a starter most of last season for City SC but saw less time after the team’s spending spree in the summer transfer window. He also missed three games late in the season, two while in concussion protocol and one with a knee injury. Until he missed a game right before Leagues Cup last season with a broken nose, he had appeared in every City SC game in every competition over the club’s first two seasons.
He had three goals and four assists last season.
Vassilev has also represented the United States at the U-17, U-18 and U-20 levels.
Ream, often the captain of the U.S. team, is the most experienced player in camp with 66 caps and is one of 30 players to get his first or second U.S. cap in a January camp and play in the World Cup. Schulte’s role with the national team grew last season, and he was called into each of the final three camps last season. He has made two appearances with the national team, plus was the starting goalkeeper at the Olympics last year.
“We are extremely excited to work with a new group of players and continue to implement our ideas,†Pochettino said in a statement from U.S. Soccer. “As I have said, MLS is very important to the national team project, and these players have earned this opportunity.â€