Indiana Vassilev has remained the roaring engine driving the Union attack: ‘He’s been really important’

Indiana Vassilev is usually heard before he is seen.

Whether it’s walking onto the Union’s training pitch, sitting inside the locker room, or on this particular day, bellowing a teammate’s name in song as loud as he could down a quiet, empty corridor — his is an energy everyone within the club seems to accept.

Perhaps it’s in large part that all of that infectious, boisterous — and, in some cases, obnoxious — energy usually gets exorcised onto the pitch, where, since joining the team last season, he’s been the spark plug the Union have needed. People may forget that Vassilev arrived to the Union on a one-year guaranteed contract, with an option to extend into this season, and that certain performance metrics would play a huge part in the decision to retain him at the end of last season.

He came as a bit of a controversial choice, too, coming in essentially to do the work of former midfielder Daniel Gazdag. Gazdag, who departed as the team’s all-time leading goal scorer, was sent to Columbus last April, just a month and a half after Vassilev’s arrival.

And while Vassilev hasn’t had the consummate goal scoring production Gazdag did, his unyielding work rate speaks for itself.

“I mean, I would love to say that I’m a goal scorer and I get a lot of assists, [but] that’s just not really what I do,” said Vassilev. “I’m just trying to get in dangerous areas and progress the play. We have guys who are very, very good at it, guys like [midfielder] Quinn [Sullivan], who score absolute bangers, and put it away. That’s not my role, and I’m OK with that.”

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A pretty accurate representation of Vassilev’s role came in the team’s Major League Soccer home opener against New York City FC, in which he stepped up to score an 89th-minute penalty kick past goalkeeper and Wayne native Matt Freese. It underscored his immense work rate in that match. According to Opta statistics, over the last two matches, Vassilev’s passing in the final third has been nearly 82% effective, and in the open field, nearly 85% effective.

A true box-to-box midfielder, Vassilev is one of a few players on manager Bradley Carnell’s roster that has the freedom to roam, where man-marking isn’t as important as breaking up attacks and then pushing forward Union attacks.

“He’s a silent leader. OK, well, he’s not silent, trust me; he’s actually quite loud,” joked Carnell. “He jokes, but he goes about his business in the most distinguished way. He adds an immense amount of value on both sides of the ball. And I think he’s a good role model to have on the team … and he commits to everything we do. So, yeah, I think it’s safe to say he’s been really important.”

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Important could also be construed as “fits” the ultra-pressing attack-the-ball minded system Carnell has employed since his arrival last year. It’s a style Carnell knew Vassilev would fit from his time as head coach of St. Louis City SC, in which he led to a record start as a Western Conference expansion team in its first MLS season.

It’s why it didn’t take Vassilev, who played under Carnell in St. Louis from 2023-24, long to retrofit himself into the Union. If you ask Vassilev, it was Carnell that brought him here, but the team comradery has fueled his intentions to remain in Chester.

“I’m a big locker room guy, I’m big about culture,” Vassilev said. “It was really easy for me to transition to, you know, this locker room and to feel comfortable and, I feel like once you feel more comfortable, you get to be your true self. And that happened quite quick for me because of how good the guys were in here.”

His transition period is over and Vassilev has remained a consistent part of the team’s lineup. Vassilev, a native of Savannah, Ga., has grown an affinity for Philadelphia.

“​​I love Savannah, Georgia, that’s where I was born and raised,” said Vassilev. “I love the South but Philly’s not too bad of a city. I actually really enjoy it. It’s firmly second in the places I’ve lived. I’m a Savannah guy, but Philly is cool and our fans are incredible.”

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It’s still early to tell what the Union will amount to this season. The team bid farewell to several core players that were instrumental in bringing the club its second Supporters’ Shield last season and are trying to get new faces to jell into its system. But Vassilev said all of that comes in training, where according to him, those sessions can be even tougher than some matches.

“Our training environment is super, super intense,” he said. “Sometimes, you know, we fight, we argue, we kick each other. But of course, that’s what makes us so good. Our internal competition is so high. I think that’s, you know a big part of our success.”

That internal competition will need to intensify as the Union look to shake off an 0-2 start to its MLS campaign. Next up, San Jose visits Subaru Park on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV), before the second round of the Concacaf Champions Cup action resumes against Liga MX giant Club America on March 10 (7 p.m., FS2).

“He’s one of our 10s and I think all of our 10s play a special role in the system,” said Carnell, referring to the responsibilities of a playmaking midfielder. “Our 9s (forwards) and our 10s, I think they have to give so much more, and sometimes they don’t receive all the output that they’re giving, right?

“But I think we saw last season that over the course of the season, you’ve seen what benefits the whole team and what gets us, you know, some silverware and hopefully a deep run in the playoffs. His skills and leadership is a big part of that and some one that we believe has the tools to help us get there.”