Michael Vang (born May 13, 2000) is a Laotion-United States-born professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

club

Miami FC The Miami FC is an American professional soccer team based in Miami, Florida that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The club began play in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in the 2016 se ...

and the Laos national team.

Playing career

Youth

Vang played in the

U.S. Soccer Development Academy The U.S. Soccer Development Academy (DA) was an American soccer league. Formed in 2007, the league features youth academies and youth clubs from various organizations, including Major League Soccer and the United Soccer League. The DA's mission ...

through

Shattuck-Saint Mary's Shattuck-St. Mary's (also known as Shattuck-St. Mary's School, Shattuck, or simply SSM) is a coeducational Episcopal-affiliated boarding school in Faribault, Minnesota, United States. Established in 1858 as an Episcopal mission school and se ...

in high school. Vang was committed to play soccer for the University of the Pacific, but decided instead to pursue playing professionally.

1º Dezembro

In July 2018, Vang joined Portuguese third tier league club 1º de Dezembro that plays in the Campeonato de Portuga. Vang was promoted to the first team in 2019 and started three league games.

Forward Madison

On 14 January 2020, Vang signed with

Forward Madison Forward Madison FC is an American professional soccer team based in Madison, Wisconsin. The team was founded in 2018, and played its inaugural season in 2019. The team competes in the third division of the US soccer league system and plays thei ...

of the

USL League One USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019. The Division III league is operated by United Soccer League, the same group that operates the Division II USL Championshi ...

prior to the 2020 season. He scored on his debut for the club in a 4–0 league win over

Tormenta ''Tormenta'' (Portuguese for ''Storm'') is a Brazilian fantasy role-playing game campaign setting that has been played at various times with the rules system for ''AD&D'', ''Runequest'', D20 System or 3D&T. It was created in 1999 by Marcelo Ca ...

on 15 August 2020.

Columbus Crew 2

On February 18, 2022, Vang joined

Columbus Crew 2 Columbus Crew 2 is a professional soccer team based in Columbus, Ohio that competes in the MLS Next Pro league, the third division of American soccer. The team is owned by, and operates as the reserve team of the Major League Soccer club Columbus ...

, the reserve side of

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...

, ahead of their inaugural

MLS Next Pro MLS Next Pro is a men's professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that is affiliated with Major League Soccer. It launched in 2022 with 21 teams and will expand to 28 in 2023. The league comprises 27 reserve sides for MLS club ...

season. On 26 March, He make his debut in a 2–0 lost against

Inter Miami II Inter Miami Club de Fútbol II, commonly known as Inter Miami CF II, is an American professional soccer club based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, that plays in the MLS Next Pro, the third-tier of American soccer. The club was established on Febr ...

. On 24 July, he scored a brace in a 4–1 win over

New England Revolution II New England Revolution II is a professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in the MLS Next Pro, the third division of American soccer. The team is owned by, and operates as the reserve team of the Major League Soccer c ...

. He made 22 appearances for the team and scored two goals, but was released at the end of the season

Portland Timbers 2

On 2 March 2023, Vang signed with

Portland Timbers 2 Portland Timbers 2 is an American professional soccer team based in Portland, Oregon. The team, often referred to as "T2", serves as the reserve squad for the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer (MLS). The team was a member of the USL Champio ...

of MLS Next Pro, the reserve side of the

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...

. He make his debut on 10 April in a match against

Colorado Rapids 2 Colorado Rapids 2 is a professional soccer club based in Denver, Colorado area that competes in the MLS Next Pro league, the third division of American soccer. The team is owned by, and operates as the reserve team of, the Major League Socce ...

Miami FC

In January 2024, Vang joined

club

. He make his debut in a 1–0 lost against

Sacramento Republic Sacramento Republic FC is an American professional soccer team based in Sacramento, California, that plays in the Western Conference of the USL Championship, the second level in US soccer. Co-founded by Warren Smith and Joe Wagoner in 2012, th ...

on 17 March.

International career

Vang was called up to the Laos national team in March 2023 for their upcoming international friendly in March. He make his debut for Laos in a 2–0 lost to

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

on 22 March.

Personal life

Vang was born to a

Hmong Hmong may refer to: * Hmong people, an ethnic group living mainly in Southwest China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand * Hmong cuisine * Hmong customs and culture ** Hmong music ** Hmong textile art * Hmong language, a continuum of closely related ton ...

family originally hailing from

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

, making him eligible to represent the country at international level. He is the first Hmong professional soccer player in the United States.

Honours

Columbus Crew 2 *

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vang, Michael 2000 births Living people Laotian men's footballers Laos men's international footballers American men's soccer players American people of Hmong descent American people of Laotian descent Men's association football midfielders Forward Madison FC players Soccer players from Minnesota Sportspeople from Saint Paul, Minnesota USL League One players Campeonato de Portugal (league) players American expatriate men's soccer players American expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal Columbus Crew 2 players MLS Next Pro players Portland Timbers 2 players Miami FC players