Lee Nguyen

Lee Nguyễn (1986-    ) is an American professional soccer player of Vietnamese descent currently signed as an outfielder with the New England Revolution in Major League Soccer.

Born on October 7, 1986 in Richardson, Texas to parents whom were both Vietnamese immigrants, he was given the name, Nguyễn Thế Anh, at birth.  During his senior year at Plano East Senior High School in Plano, Texas, Lee Nguyễn received the National Gatorade Boys Soccer High School Player of the Year Award.  After graduating from high school, he enrolled at Indiana University where he played for one season during his freshman year and was selected as National Freshman of the Year in 2005 by Soccer America and Soccer Times.  On February of the following year, Lee Nguyễn turned professional when he signed a 3-and-a-half-year contract with the Dutch Eredivisie team, PSV Eindhoven.  Dissatisfied with PSV Eindhoven, he requested an early release from his contract and joined Randers FC of the Danish Superliga on January 31, 2008 where he would make 23 appearances.  On January 18, 2009, Lee Nguyễn signed a lucrative contract with Hoàng Anh Gia Lai of Vietnam for one season making him the very first American-born professional athlete to be recruited by the Vietnamese Super League.  During his tenure with Hoàng Anh Gia Lai, Lee Nguyễn scored 13 goals and 16 assists in 23 appearances.  The following year, he signed with Becamex Bình Dương FC for one and a half seasons.  While playing for the Vietnamese Super League, Lee Nguyễn claimed his Vietnamese citizenship by descent and is now a dual citizen of Vietnam and the United States.

After several years as a professional soccer player in Vietnamese Super League, Lee Nguyễn decided to return to the United States in December of 2011.  He inked a multi-year deal with Major League Soccer on December 7, 2011.  After 3 preseason appearances with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Lee Nguyễn was selected by the New England Revolution.   Since 2012, Lee Nguyễn has scored a total of 48 goals for the New England Revolution and was twice voted by fans as the team's MVP of the years 2012 and 2014.  He had also made the finals for the MLS Goal of the Year Award in 2012 and 2014.  In 2016, Lee Nguyễn became captain of the New England Revolution.