Inter Miami CF announced today that it has re-acquired Indiana Vassilev on a season-long loan from Aston Villa. The versatile attacking player returns to the club after a strong loan stint in 2021, where he appeared in 21 of 23 matches since his arrival.
“We’re very excited to bring Indiana back to Inter Miami. He left a fantastic impression both on and off the pitch last season and we’re thrilled to see him return,” said Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director Chris Henderson. “We’re always looking to improve and we feel Indiana will help strengthen our options across a number of positions in attack and midfield.”
Vassilev, 21, made 21 appearances for Inter Miami, seven of them starts, after joining on July 7, 2021, appearing in 21 out of 23 games that season since his arrival. In total, he played 793 minutes for the club and netted three goals, including a late winner to help the team earn a 2-1 win over Eastern Conference opponents Nashville SC on Aug. 8, 2021. Despite his youth, Vassilev was a regular impact player off the bench for Inter Miami, finishing with the third-most substitute appearances on the team in 2021.
Most recently, following his loan with Inter Miami in 2021, Vassilev enjoyed a productive start to 2022 with Aston Villa’s U-23 side, netting two goals and dishing out an assist in five Premier League 2 fixtures.
Vassilev first joined Aston Villa at the youth levels in 2018, representing the U-18 and U-23 teams. Overall, in his time with those teams, he’s registered 13 goals and seven assists in 59 appearances.
The Bulgarian American made his senior debut for the team in Jan. 2020, coming off the bench in an FA Cup match against Fulham. He went on to make six total appearances for the first team in 2020, with four coming in the Premier League, one in the FA Cup and one in the EFL Cup.
The Savannah, Georgia native then helped Cheltenham Town earn promotion to the EFL League One and played an important role in winning the 2020/21 EFL League Two title during his loan spell with the team, making 12 appearances in the process. Prior to that, the attacker made 12 appearances while he was on loan at Burton Albion during the first half of the 2020-21 season.
On the international stage, Vassilev has represented the U.S. youth national teams, featuring for the U-16, U-17, U-18 and U-20 teams. Notably, he represented the U-17 team at the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, making four appearances as the team reached the quarterfinals.
