It’s official: Lee Nguyen to play in V-League

In a risky career move that brings him from the major soccer leagues of Europe to his parents’ country of Vietnam, U.S. stand-out Lee Nguyen is said to have accepted a position with Hoang Anh Gia Lai, one of Vietnam’s top teams.

The news was first reported by the nascent Vietnamese sports publication The Thao 24 Gio, which does not have a web site, and was promptly re-run by others including Dan Tri here and the soccer-only Bong Da here (both in Vietnamese).

The publication reports that the team has submitted its official roster to the league’s office for the championship tournament, and 22-year-old Lee Nguyen is shown to be donning jersey no. 9.

Lee Nguyen – whom fans call by his first name Lee – apparently clinched the deal with a stellar tryout, scoring 3 goals in 60 minutes. Last-minute rumors that suggest an MLS team may be looking at Lee turned out to be just that, rumors.

The Thao 24 Gio notes Lee’s career risks, but points out that with the high risk comes a high reward: Lee is reportedly getting no less than U.S.$ 40,000 per month in salary, in a country where per capita income is estimated at $1,000 a year.

For comparison, other foreigners playing in V-League typically get $3,000 a month. Vietnam’s current highest paid soccer player is Kiatisuk Semanuang – one of Southeast Asia’s best, a member of the Thai national team, and Nguyen’s teammate-to-be at HAGL – and he’s getting $10k a month.

Hoang Anh Gia Lai is named after its home province and the team’s financial backer Hoang Anh – a lumber and furniture company. Its lineup is notorious for being stacked with players from Thailand’s national team. With two V-League championships, the club is considered the country’s powerhouse.

Lee calls the opportunity to play in Vietnam “a dream come true for me.”

However, he may want to check out the club’s finances. Hoang Anh’s owner has plunked a huge portion of his fortune into real estate, and with the land market in Vietnam going down the tube, rumors are swirling that Hoang Anh will be the first house of cards to fall. Maybe Lee should make sure his pay is deposited in an escrow account or something.

In 2005, when he was 18, Lee became the only high school player to be named in the USA under-20 team for the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. As a senior, he was named the 2004-05 Gatorade National Boy Soccer Player of the Year.

After high school, Nguyen declined pro offers and moved from Dallas to Bloomington to play for NCAA powerhouse Indiana University. He was named Freshman of the Year by Soccer Times and Soccer America magazines.

After his freshman year, Nguyen went pro and joined the Dutch team PSV Eindhoven, where he was coached by Guss Hiddink, the former coach of Real Madrid who has also led the national teams of South Korea and Australia and is currently coaching Russia’s national team.

In January of this year, Nguyen joined the Danish club Randers FC. That contract is set to expire in summer 2009.