The former USMNT attacking midfielder enjoyed one of the more remarkable careers in American soccer history
As far as the Vietnamese media were concerned, there were only two players who took the pitch at the 2005 U20 World Cup. The first was a 17-year-old from Rosario, Argentina, then of Barcelona’s academy, named Lionel Messi. The second was an 18-year-old from Dallas, Texas, then of Plano East high school, named Lee Nguyen.
The two would, of course, have vastly different careers. Messi, the Inter Miami star, won eight Ballons d’or (and counting), and has claimed every major trophy in football. Nguyen’s journey was more complex, one that covered four countries and numerous barriers broken. But in the streets of Ho Chinh Mi City, the two experience a similar state of notoriety.
Messi has the fame associated with being the greatest footballer of all time. Nguyen, meanwhile, is still recognized – his playing career now over – as perhaps the best player of Vietnam descent to ever kick a ball. He played in the Vietnamese league for three years, and MLS for eight more. Toss in a European and college stint, and his journey has been captivating – if not as successful as Messi’s magnificence.
“When I reflect back on it, or when people ask me about my career, and where I played – it's crazy to think about the journey and the path that I took,” Nguyen told GOAL. “It's been a great experience, and I have stories to look back on that I'm proud of.”
You think? There are tales throughout his career of a very good footballer drawn towards a country that was simply desperate to have him – at times, to a fault. Nguyen still recalls agents pestering his father at all hours, call after call, with offers to play football far and wide.
He reflects on the “different” experience of playing in the V-League, having fans try to tear his shinpads off before games, just as a memento. More recently, there are moments of triumph and learning as Nguyen enters a new phase of a career that has never truly slowed down.
Getty'I had to miss a lot of school'
In 2005, there were few better-regarded prospects in American soccer than Nguyen. Born to a Vietnamese father – who fled his home country in the early ‘70s before settling in Texas – and a Vietnamese-American mother, he was part of a small cluster of Asian-American footballers to break through in the youth scene.
His early career is fairly typical of the mid-2000s American soccer kid – good club, better club, a few youth championships, some early national team looks. He was in the right place, too. Dallas was a hotbed of youth soccer in the early 2000s.
But of course, the rise came. He was the only high schooler named to the U.S. U20s squad – also in that team, Freddy Adu. And once he was named in the side, he never fell out of it. Back then, though, such a career path was a foreign concept to the average American sports fan. Leaving high school for weeks at a time was a tricky thing to negotiate.
“I was the only high school player to get into the U20 World Cup team,” he said. “That was a process in itself, trying to get permission to leave high school. Because I was in the middle of my year, and everybody else was either in the professional environment or not in season with the college team. I had to miss a lot of school.”
Nguyen enjoyed a solid tournament. He started one game, and came off the bench in another, before the U.S. were outclassed by Italy in the round of 16, a 1-0 group stage win over Argentina still lives in the collective memory.
That was June 2005, and Nguyen had impressed enough at the tournament to generate hype. Agents were sniffing around. There were a few curious clubs in the Netherlands. Guus Hiddink, then PSV manager – and who had previously coached Real Madrid, Valencia, the Netherlands and South Korea – had his eye on Nguyen.
He was aware of the possibility of a European move, mostly because his father’s phone kept blowing up. But he never really considered it. That is, until Benny Feilhaber, a good friend and UCLA standout, signed a deal with Hamburg.
“That was a moment I was like, ‘Wow, like somebody I'm playing with, someone I'm friends with, just signed a pro deal in Europe after this tournament,’ ” Nguyen said.
Still, he had already committed to play college soccer at Indiana. After a year with the Hoosiers, though, it was clear that professional soccer beckoned. Nguyen had countless conversations with agents to figure out his next step. Eventually, Lyle Yorks – who also worked with Clint Dempsey and Tyler Adams – agreed to represent Nguyen. A PSV move was wrapped up shortly thereafter.
“It was wild, because the dream and the goal was to play professionally at the highest level. I never thought it was going to happen so fast,” Nguyen said.
There was conflict. Nguyen had always insisted that he would wrap up college in three years and then pursue the sport professionally. His mother, regardless of the offer, still wanted him to finish his studies. But ultimately, Nguyen signed.
“It was too good to turn down,” he said.
AdvertisementGetty'The attention was crazy'
Europe, however, never worked out. Nguyen was a teenager trying to make it in the PSV senior setup. They were winning. A lot. Under Hiddink and then Ronald Koeman, they claimed the Eredivisie three straight seasons. Nguyen could never crack the lineup. He made just two first team appearances at PSV, and was swiftly moved onto Danish Superliga side Randers – where things didn’t quite click either.
Still, his appearance was a big deal. Nguyen was the first player of Vietnamese descent to appear in top flight European football. Even if he was struggling on the pitch, Vietnamese fans idolized him. Texas was home, and he had always represented the United States. But Vietnamese culture was always revered.
That didn’t mean he wanted to play there. A handful of V-League clubs had expressed their interest around the time he signed a deal with PSV. Nguyen turned it down unequivocally, recalling, “I said no, not even I’m not even interested.”
But then the European avenues started closing. Randers presented reduced playing time. And then the Vietnamese side Hoang Anh Gia Lai offered money. A lot of it.
“The contract changed. And was something to really consider, because it was like either stay and continue to fight or, you know, take a nice paycheck and be set for the future,” Nguyen said.
He didn’t commit, at least not at first. The ownership offered to fly him out on a private jet. That trip, as well as the handsome payday, sold him.
“It was a whole extravaganza. Press was everywhere,” he said. “The attention was crazy, and I had never experienced it. You’re known when you play at PSV. You’re known when you’re in Europe. But this was a different kind of notoriety.”
Nguyen signed. And in the early days, that level of fame was alluring, with Nguyen saying, “I was like ‘I could get used to this. Taking a private jet from the main city to the training ground, this can be fun.’”
The perks, in fact, were remarkable – planes, private driver, free food, a table at every exclusive bar or club – everything he could want.
“It was cool,” he said. “You got VIP treatment everywhere you went. Everybody wanted you to go to their restaurant, go make an appearance at an event or whatever, and everything was taken care of, which was nice. So all that seemed pretty cool.”
But then, of course, there was the down side. Nguyen suddenly couldn’t leave the house without getting mobbed. He would end up in the media for simply going out to grab a coffee with a friend.
“I’m not thinking anything of it, and then the next day, I'm in the papers, the Vietnamese TMZ or whatever, and I don't even remember that picture, or anyone ever taking it, but I was in the newspaper the next day,” he said.
It helped that Nguyen was at another level when it came to soccer. He scored 13 goals and added 16 assists in just 24 games in his first campaign. Here was a European level talent strolling through a league that craved his presence.
But even playing for his team became difficult. Nguyen needed hefty security to get to games – such was the furor around his arrival. Bodyguards couldn’t necessarily stop eager fans.
“They got through security and fans were trying to grab my jersey, grab my boots, like, rip my shin guards off… that was something,” he said.
IMAGN'I just wanted to challenge myself with football'
When Nguyen told his agent that he wanted to play in MLS, he received a brief response: “Are you sure?”
It was a fair question. Nguyen was 25, and could have signed additional long-term contracts to play in the Vietnamese League. MLS clubs could only offer him a minimum salary. The discrepancy in pay would be significant. He would also arrive in the league as a relative unknown, charged with proving himself.
And other clubs did, indeed, try to tempt him. Further offers – with even more money on the line – came in. But he needed the challenge. There was also the pull of the USMNT. Jurgen Klinsmann had just taken over as national team manager, and Nguyen thought an opportunity might present itself – he was cap-tied to the U.S. and couldn’t have played for Vietnam.
“I just wanted to challenge myself with football,” he said. “And a part of that, too, was believing that I could get back on the national team radar, seeing my friends all playing. I definitely missed a little bit of being home and being in front of my family and friends. It was all intertwined.”
It was far from easy. Vancouver originally picked him up on a multi-year deal, but cut him after three preseason appearances. But the day after his release, the New England Revolution selected him with the second pick in the waiver draft. Once he settled there, Nguyen’s quality became clear.
He tallied nearly 200 appearances for the Revolution, and was named to MLS Best XI in 2014. And, to round it off, Klinsmann handed him another crack at the national team.
“As I got comfortable and started to be able to express myself and come into my own, I think I started to play the best football during that time, during that stretch,” he said.
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Other'I'm working on my coaching, but I'm also playing with these guys'
As Nguyen aged, he bounced around. New England traded him to LAFC in 2018. Inter Miami selected him in the expansion draft two years later. A final foray with the Revolution followed, before Vietnam called again. There were reports in early 2020 that Ho Chi Minh City FC were offering him a league record $430,000 salary to move back to his former league.
That was put on hold, before he eventually agreed the deal on Christmas Day 2020.
But further twists came. Vietnam’s season ended early due to a second lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There was talk of not being able to leave his house for months. Nguyen flew home, not knowing when he would be able to kick a ball again.
In the meantime, he took up coaching, helping out with a local girls’ team in Texas. He soon started to enjoy it. And then, an offer arrived. NWSL side Washington Spirit had parted ways with their head coach, and were fleshing out their staff. He knew the interim manager, and was offered a contract to help until the end of the season.
“The consensus was, ‘I can help you until the end of the season’ but then I was gonna go back to Vietnam and play,” Nguyen said.
As it turned out, Nguyen was rather good at this coaching thing. The Spirit won the NWSL Championship, with Nguyen playing a key coaching role. Everything was in place for him to sign a new deal and stick with the team – Vietnam offer, notwithstanding. His playing career seemed to be over.
But then the V-League called again. Ho Chi Minh City FC, one of his former clubs, were battling relegation. Their owner pleaded Nguyen for help. He initially said no, and pointed out that coaching was serving him well. There was no way he would return – even though he was still under contract.
Unless something changed – and of course, it did. Nguyen was offered another massive pay increase – one he believed was too good to turn down. The Spirit couldn’t match it, and allowed him to leave. Nguyen helped save Ho Chi Minh City FC from the drop by three points, as they lost just one of their last four games to claw themselves from near-certain relegation to comfortable safety.
“When I came back [to Vietnam], even the coach gave me free rein to run the offense. I'm working on my coaching, but I'm also playing with these guys,” Nguyen said.