By NAN Sports Editor
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. April 30, 2021: The Indy Eleven soccer team takes to the field this weekend for its 2021 USL Championship regular season opener at Birmingham Legion FC in a week when it added a Caribbean soccer star to its squad.
Jamaican international midfielder Peter-Lee Vassell was added this week as one more attacking piece in the team.
Terms of the contract that bring the ex-MLS performer with Los Angles Football Club (LAFC) to the Circle City have not been released per club policy, but Vassell will be available for selection by Eleven Head Coach Martin Rennie pending receipt of his visa.
The 23-year-old Vassell has turned heads in recent years with the Jamaican National Team, bagging six goals in 17 appearances with the “Reggae Boys” at the senior international level including contests in the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup and Concacaf Nations League competitions.
“I used to play with (former Eleven forward) Dane Kelly, so we used to talk a lot and he was telling me Indy Eleven is a great club,” explained Vassell. “I’m ready for this season, and hopefully we don’t dwell on last season. The guys coming in, we are prepared to go to the playoffs and hope for the best. We have great players and a great coaching staff heading into the season.”
“Peter-Lee Vassell is a highly talented player who has already played a lot of games – and scored a lot of goals – for his national team at a relatively young age,” said Indy Eleven Head Coach Martin Rennie. “Peter-Lee has a ton of potential, and we feel he can develop a lot with us and become a force in our midfield.”
Vassell split the 2019 season between a pair of regular season champions, making six appearances for LAFC as part of their MLS Supporters Shield winning campaign and playing another six games on loan for USL Championship side Phoenix Rising FC. LAFC made the native of Saint James Parrish, Jamaica, their first pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft (2nd round, 40th overall selection) after the attacking midfielder stood out in both the MLS Caribbean Combine and MLS Combine.
Prior to that season stateside, Vassell began his professional career with Harbour View FC, where he scored a pair of goals in 38 contests across the 2017-18 seasons for the perennial Jamaican Red Stripe Premier League contender.
Vassell’s addition puts Indy Eleven at 26 players under contract leading up to this Saturday’s regular season opener that kicks-off at 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff, live on ESPN+ and Exitos Radio 94.3 FM/exitos943.com.
The 2021 Indy Eleven roster as it currently stands:
Goalkeepers: Bobby Edwards, Jordan Farr*, Alexander Svetanoff*^
Defenders: Rece Buckmaster, A.J. Cochran, Neveal Hackshaw*, Aidan Liu, Nedeljko Malić, Karl Ouimette*, Matthew Senanou*^, Jared Timmer
Midfielders: Ayoze (Garcia)*, Jeremiah Gutjahr, Carl Haworth*, Gershon Koffie, Nicky Law, Patrick McDonald*^, Patrick Seagrist, Aboubacar Sissoko, Peter-Lee Vassell
Forwards: Manuel Arteaga, Jordan Hamilton, Nick Moon*, Matthew Roou*^, Gordon Wild, Cammy Smith
