Indiana Vassilev has played for the United States in the under-17 World Cup Cup, played in England in the Premier League and, of course, been a regular in the lineup and a fan favorite with St. Louis City SC.
But there was something about starting for the United States’ full national team Wednesday against Costa Rica in Orlando, Florida, that was very different for him, even after having made his first appearance with the national team coming off the bench a few days before.
“I was definitely more nervous beforehand,†he said, “before the Costa Rica game. I was definitely holding the little kid’s hand (who escorted him on to the field) way harder than he was holding mine, I can guarantee you that.â€
That match marked the end of an exciting but unexpected two weeks for the City SC midfielder in camp with the national team. He appeared in two matches, and while he didn’t figure in any of the scoring in the U.S. team’s two wins, it was a chance to experience the sport at the next level.
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“Overall, just super-grateful,†he said Monday from City SC’s practice site in Bradenton, Florida, after rejoining the team. “When you get called into camps like that, national team camps, and you’re being recognized, it really reaffirms that that you are doing the right things, and it does make you feel good, and it makes you want to push even harder.â€
U.S. Soccer’s annual January camp is different from all its rest. It does not fall in a FIFA international window, which means that the national team’s elite, almost all of whom play in Europe, are not available to take part. So the camp has become an opportunity for the coaching staff of the national team to get a look at U.S.-based players before they head into their MLS clubs’ preseason camps.
A year ago, then-City SC midfielder Aziel Jackson got called in, and this time, it was Vassilev who got the invitation.
“I wasn’t expecting it,†Vassilev said. “I was just doing my offseason program. I got the preliminary call, which was exciting, but I had been on preliminary calls for the Olympic team and I ended up not getting called in. So I was holding off on my excitement. When I realized that I was going, when I got the official invite, obviously super-happy. A lot of joy, a little bit of nervousness, a little bit anxiousness.â€
Once in camp, Vassilev, like the rest of the team, did a lot of conditioning as most of the players are coming off the MLS offseason, and worked with national team coach Mauricio Pochettino and his staff.
“The one thing that I took was,†Vassilev said, “if you are an attacking player, he wants you to be very creative. He almost gives people in attacking positions on teams that he coaches the green light to pretty much trust themselves and trust their ability and show their quality to create and to do what they’re at the end of the day paid to do. So I think it’s more of what I got from him and that coaching staff is to is to work hard, but obviously, trust the ability that you have and you are there for a reason.
“Aside from that, they were so good off the field, they were super-chill. ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ were awesome off the field. Crack jokes on the field, very intense, very serious, very intentional in what they wanted to teach you or coach you. It was an absolute joy from them. It was something that you experience, and you have a drive to almost want to experience it again, because it was so nice.â€
It’s a tough climb from a January camp to being a regular with the national team. The camp dates back to 1999, and in that time, 30 players have gotten their first or second cap in the camp and gone on to make a U.S. World Cup roster. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, nine players on the U.S. roster, including St. Louisan Tim Ream, had made one of their first two appearances in a match held in conjunction with the January camp.
Vassilev came off the bench for the final 17 minutes of the Venezuela match — he gave his jersey from that match to his father — then got the start against Costa Rica and played 69 minutes.
“I think my goal was to go there and to play free and to attempt to show my quality,†he said, “and I went there and I played free, and at times, I did show my quality, and at times, I didn’t. Individually, could I have done better? Yes, I can. I can always do better, but I think overall, I’m happy with how it went. Could it have gone better? One hundred percent, but I think I went there, I was open, I was myself. I tried to play free, and I feel like I accomplished those things for the most part.â€
And now he’s back in camp with City SC, ready to put what he’s learned to work and also try to position himself for another call-up.
“Pochettino’s last message to us after the last game was: It doesn’t stop here.†Vassilev said. “You have to go back to your team, and you have to try and be the best player on your team, and you have to try and stand out on your team in every single game and every single training session. So that was the message I got. That’s the message everybody else got. That’s what I’m going to try and do. I’m going to try and be the best player I can be, day in, day out, in training.
“And then obviously, when games come around, you have to show quality, because that’s when it really does matter. If you show quality in games, it’s definitely hard to turn away from.â€
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