Remember Lee?

Lee Nguyen used to be spoken of in the same conversation as some of the USMNT's much-hyped youth prospects. In 2005, Lee's play at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championships impressed then-PSV manager Guus Hiddink, who brought in the young Vietnamese-American to his team. At just 19 years of age, Nguyen had many American fans excited about his potential.

Predictably, Nguyen did not get much playing time early on in his time at PSV, but he remained in good favor with Hiddink. His potential, however, earned him a call-up to the US roster for the 2007 Copa America. Though the roster was largely a "B" team, five of its members are now considered regulars for the National Team (Ricardo Clark, Jay Demerit, Jonathan Bornstein, Benny Feilhaber, and Charlie Davies), so Lee was in good company and appeared to be on track to become a fixture at outside midfield for the National Team in the coming years.


Unfortunately, as has been the case in recent years with other young Americans (see: Adu, Freddy), a change in managers meant the end for Lee at PSV. After Guus Hiddink left to take the job as coach of the Russian national team, Nguyen found himself dropped down to the reserves. Though he played well with PSV's reserve side, he did not receive any serious look for first team action, and decided to take his game elsewhere.

In 2008, Lee moved to Randers of the Danish SuperLiga, where he played a fair amount. As only a 21 year old, Nguyen still had some time to right the ship and get to regular first team action. Despite making 22 appearances for Randers in less than a year there, Lee decided to move away from Europe altogether this past winter, opting to sign a deal with Hoang Anh Gia Lai of Vietnam.


The move to the V-League left many American soccer fans scratching their heads, wondering why this 22 year old would leave Europe for a weak league in southeast Asia. While a nice paycheck and getting in touch with his ancestral roots were bonuses from the move, what was most important for Lee's development was the fact that he was playing regularly. In 24 appearances, Nguyen produced frequently, finishing his season with 9 goals and 16 assists.

Despite his solid play, many Americans considered Lee's window of opportunity to earn a spot on the national team closed. Even though he was just 22, the move to HAGL caused many fans and pundits alike to write off the former Indiana Hoosier as a prospect who just never made it. Lee, though, saw his time in Vietnam as just a way to right the ship and put him back on track for success in Europe. His decision to sign with HAGL would prove to pay dividends once the season ended, as it helped him land a stint with one of Europe's most storied clubs.

Following the season in Vietnam, Lee went back to Europe to pursue some new options. His journey starts in London, where he is now practicing with Arsenal. Lee was able to get this opportunity to train with one of the world's biggest teams because of a relationship between Arsenal and HAGL. When asked about whether the stint was just training or if it was a trial, Lee vaguely answered via Twitter that is was both.

Over the last week, Lee has trained with Arsenal's players and coaches, with some sessions run by Arsene Wenger himself. Should Lee impress, he will put himself into a good position to latch on to another European team (as Wenger is well connected), or, if he absolutely stuns the Arsenal brass, he could earn himself a contract with the Gunners. While the latter is certainly less likely, it will be interesting to see what comes of Lee following his season off the grid. Did the year in Vietnam stunt his growth as a player and spell the end for his time as a USMNT prospect? Or did his run with HAGL give him additional confidence critical to his future development as a player? We shall find out in the coming months and years. But one thing's for sure, Lee has already had an interesting journey in his soccer career, and he's only 22 years old.

Here's hoping he's got a few more stops along the way.