Villyan Bijev
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 3 January 1993 | ||
| Place of birth | Sofia, Bulgaria | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder, Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Oklahoma City Energy | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2008–2011 | California Odyssey[1] | ||
| 2011–2014 | Liverpool | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011–2014 | Liverpool | 0 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | → Fortuna Düsseldorf II (loan) | 16 | (4) |
| 2011–2012 | → Fortuna Düsseldorf (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2012 | → IK Start (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2014 | Slavia Sofia | 10 | (1) |
| 2015 | Cherno More | 23 | (3) |
| 2016–2017 | Portland Timbers 2 | 52 | (16) |
| 2017 | → Sacramento Republic (loan) | 11 | (2) |
| 2018–2020 | Sacramento Republic | 74 | (11) |
| 2021– | Oklahoma City Energy | 18 | (9) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2010–2011 | United States U18 | 3 | (0) |
| 2012 | United States U20 | 3 | (0) |
| 2013–2015 | Bulgaria U21 | 4 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20 July 2021 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 19 November 2013 | |||
Villyan Bijev (Bulgarian: Вилиян Бижев, born 3 January 1993) is a professional footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Oklahoma City Energy FC in the USL Championship.
Early life[]
Villyan Bijev was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, and moved with his family to the United States at the age of five in 1998.[2] He grew up in Fresno, California and began his youth career with local school team. In 2008, at the age of 15, Bijev joined California Odyssey.
Career[]
Liverpool[]
Bijev originally signed to play college soccer at the University of Washington in the fall of 2011, but in July 2011, Liverpool invited Bijev for a trial with the Under 18s.[3] He left a great impression, netting five goals in two pre-season friendly games, earning himself a permanent switch to the Merseyside outfit in the process on a reported three-year deal with an additional two-year option. Liverpool officially announced the signing from US outfit California Odyssey on 31 August 2011.
He was released from the club at the end of the 2013–14 season.[4]
Loan spells[]
The same day he signed for Liverpool, it was announced that Bijev had signed on loan for German side Fortuna Düsseldorf for the 2011–12 season.[5] Bijev played mostly for Fortuna B-squad, where he scored 4 goals in 16 games. He appeared once for the first team, playing the last 8 minutes of a 2–1 away loss against Hansa Rostock on 5 April 2012, in the place of Adam Matuszczyk.[6]
On 27 August 2012, Bijev joined Norwegian First Division side IK Start on a one year loan, as this will help him gain the necessary work permits to play in England.[7] Bijev made his debut for the club in a 2–1 win over Hødd.[8] Though he made one appearance, the club would be promoted to Tippeligaen.
Slavia Sofia[]
After being released by Liverpool, Bijev joined Bulgarian A Football Group side Slavia Sofia.[9] He made his league debut for the club in a 4–1 home win against Marek Dupnitsa on 19 July 2014. Bijev marked his debut with a goal, scoring the fourth. In December 2014, his contract with Slavia was terminated by mutual consent.
Cherno More[]
On 12 January 2015, Bijev signed with Cherno More Varna on a one-and-a-half-year deal. He made his debut on 27 February, starting in a 2–0 home league win against Slavia Sofia. Bijev scored his first official goal for Cherno More on 5 March, netting the fourth in a 5–0 success at Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa for the Bulgarian Cup.
Return to the US[]
Bijev returned to the United States in 2016, playing for USL Championship sides Portland Timbers 2 and Sacramento Republic FC. In March 2021, Bijev joined Oklahoma City Energy FC.[10]
International career[]
Born in Bulgaria but raised in the United States and holding American citizenship, Bijev is eligible for both nations. He has represented the United States at the under-18 and under-20 level and Bulgaria at the under-21 level.[11][12] He has yet to represent either at the senior level.
Career statistics[]
as of 31 December 2018
| Club performance | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Season | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Liverpool | 2011–12 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fortuna Düsseldorf II (loan) | 2011–12 | Regionalliga | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | – | 16 | 4 | |
| Fortuna Düsseldorf (loan) | 2011–12 | 2. Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | |
| IK Start (loan) | 2012 | First Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | |
| Liverpool | 2012–13 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013–14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Slavia Sofia | 2014–15 | A Group | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 11 | 1 | |
| Cherno More | 2014–15 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 2 | – | 15 | 4 | ||
| 2015–16 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 4 | ||
| Total | 23 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 8 | ||
| Portland Timbers 2 | 2016 | United Soccer League | 29 | 10 | – | – | 29 | 10 | ||
| 2017 | 23 | 7 | – | – | 23 | 7 | ||||
| Sacramento Republic | 2017[13] | 9 | 2 | – | – | 9 | 2 | |||
| 2018 | 32 | 6 | 2 | 2 | – | 32 | 8 | |||
| Total | 61 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 93 | 23 | ||
| Portland Timbers | 2017 | Major League Soccer | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | |
| Career statistics | 94 | 21 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 106 | 26 | ||
Honors[]
Cherno More
References[]
- ^ "Clovis North graduate Villyan Bijev follows soccer dreams overseas". Clovis Independent. 9 January 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- ^ "Вилян Бижев симпатизира на Ливърпул и Барселона" (in Bulgarian). gong.bg. 5 March 2015.
- ^ "Bijev Signs Pro Contract With Liverpool FC". GoHuskies.com. UW Athletics. 28 July 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
- ^ "Clubs submit retained and released lists". Premier League. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
- ^ "Liverpool sign US starlet Villyan Bijev & loan him to Fortuna Dusseldorf". goal.com. 31 August 2011.
- ^ "Hansa Rostock 2–1 Fortuna Düsseldorf". soccerway.com. 5 April 2012.
- ^ "Liverpool Player on your way to Start" [Liverpoolspiller på vei til Start] (in Norwegian). ikstart.no. 24 August 2012. Archived from the original on 5 June 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
- ^ "Match Report: Start 2 - 1 Hødd" [Match Report: Start 2 - 1 Hødd] (in Norwegian). Alrom Football. 23 September 2012. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
- ^ "Славия взима футболист на Ливърпул" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 16 May 2014.
- ^ "ENERGY FC SIGNS DYNAMIC WINGER, USL CHAMPIONSHIP STAR VILLYAN BIJEV". OKC Energy. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
- ^ "Диего Фераресо става национал" (in Bulgarian). football24.bg. 12 September 2012. Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
- ^ "Таланти от Ливърпул и Ханза ще играят за България" (in Bulgarian). novsport.com. 16 May 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
- ^ "Villyan Bijev". www.sacrepublicfc.com. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
External links[]
- Villyan Bijev at fussballdaten.de (in German)
- 1993 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Sofia
- Sportspeople from Fresno, California
- Bulgarian footballers
- Bulgaria under-21 international footballers
- American soccer players
- United States men's youth international soccer players
- United States men's under-20 international soccer players
- Bulgarian emigrants to the United States
- Association football forwards
- Liverpool F.C. players
- Fortuna Düsseldorf II players
- Fortuna Düsseldorf players
- IK Start players
- PFC Slavia Sofia players
- PFC Cherno More Varna players
- Portland Timbers 2 players
- Sacramento Republic FC players
- OKC Energy FC players
- 2. Bundesliga players
- Norwegian First Division players
- First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players
- USL Championship players
- American expatriate soccer players
- Expatriate footballers in Germany
- Expatriate footballers in Norway
- Soccer players from California