St. Louis City SC fans were thrown into a frenzy on Thursday afternoon when Tom Bogert broke the news that fan favorite Indiana Vassilev was heading to the Philadelphia Union in an unexpected move by the club. St. Louis will net a reported $1M in General Allocation Money with up to $200k in additional add ons in return for Vassilev. The uproar got even louder when Apple TV’s Taylor Twellman took to X to share some information about potential discontent between Indy and the team.
Taylor Twellman on X (formerly Twitter): “Vassilev made it known to his teammates @stlCITYsc that he didn’t want to be there anymore so good business by the club to find the right deal. #MLS / X”
Vassilev made it known to his teammates @stlCITYsc that he didn’t want to be there anymore so good business by the club to find the right deal. #MLS
While we don’t know the reason for Indy’s rumored discontent; there was speculation that a player was seeking a move after being asked to play out of position. I’ll reiterate we don’t have confirmation that this unnamed player was Vassilev; however coming off his first call up to the U.S. national team and entering a contract year, it is plausible that he could want to be showcased in his preferred position. It also seems to sync up with Twellman’s take on the move.
Taylor Twellman on X (formerly Twitter): “Nah I think the player just wanted a change. I mean he went to his former coach no?! / X”
Nah I think the player just wanted a change. I mean he went to his former coach no?!
So why the Union and what does this mean for City?
The answer to the first is much shorter than the latter. Vassilev loved playing under Bradley Carnell; who was dismissed by St. Louis following a poor start to the 2024 season. It was reported by several outlets that he was one of the players who took Carnell’s sacking the hardest; so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Philadelphia would be high on Indy’s list of destinations. Carnell’s pressing style is one that suits Indy’s game. His high intensity and high work rate that endeared him to St. Louis fans should make him a natural fit in the rebuilt Union side. The same isn’t necessarily true should he have remained in St. Louis. Under the new system Olof Mellberg is implementing Vassilev appeared to have a less clear role. The shift in formation combined with the additions from last summer would leave Indy fighting for minutes in a to be determined position; a spot he’d be unfamiliar with after being a regular starter over St. Louis’ first two seasons in MLS. Finally, add the fact that this is a contract year for Indy and the picture of why he’d seek a move seems clear: he wants to play regularly in a preferred position in a system that fits his style of play as a showcase leading into free agency.
As for the impact on City, it may not be as big of a hit as you think. As much as St. Louis, myself included, loved watching Vassilev leave it all out on the pitch; the truth is he’s really just an average player. Yes, he’s in his prime. Yes, it’s really awesome to say a City player was playing for the U.S. national team a month ago. But neither of those weren’t enough to say he’s a guy St. Louis really needs.
The charts above show that regardless of role, he was really a middle of the road midfielder for City. The only two metrics where Vassilev rated highly were blocks and aerials won; where he was in the 93rd and 77th percentiles respectively. Even more importantly, the club has enough depth now that you could make the case he isn’t even the first option off the bench in either the winger or central attacking midfield roles. Below is a comparison of three players who have all played various attacking roles over the first two seasons in club history. Vassilev just doesn’t jump off this graph compared to similar players on the roster. So I’d make the case that is another reason he’s expendable.
So what does this mean for City? For starters, it opens a senior roster spot; giving the club some additional flexibility to bring in trialist Alfredo Morales if the club decides we need that depth at the CM position. There haven’t been any signs pointing to an official signing, but it is a move that could make sense given that Chris Durkin and Jake Girwood-Reich are still working their way back from injuries. I would note, however, that Durkin is expected to be ready for the season opener this weekend. Beyond Durkin is Akil Watts who was a standout in the center of the park this preseason, but there’s not much depth after that.
Alternatively, if City doesn’t fill the roster spot now, it could give some younger players a shot at meaningful minutes early in the season. Going back to his introductory press conference, one of the things that Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel touted about Mellberg was his ability to develop talent. Perhaps this is an avenue to do this outside of the U.S. Open Cup.
Seeing a fan favorite leave town is never fun. It’s even less so when there’s speculation that there was a falling out between himself and team. But based on all the “facts” we have now, that doesn’t seem to be what happened here. It simply seems to be a case where the player was looking for a way to earn his next contract and the path to doing so in St. Louis wasn’t going to make that easy. It’s a deal that benefits both sides and while I’ll miss Indy for his heart; I’m looking forward to the flexibility this gives us moving forward.
As always, thanks for reading! Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions with me in the comments here or find me on X or Bluesky.
Taking his passion for soccer and St. Louis to the next level, Jeremy aims to provide analytical coverage of all this St. Louis City SC.
