After winning two Eredivisie titles and a Johan Cruijff Shield with PSV Eindhoven, Nguyen spent two seasons in Vietnam before moving to Major League soccer, where he led the New England Revolution to the 2014 MLS Cup final and won the 2019 Supporters' Shield title with Los Angeles FC.
[5] With Nguyen still hoping to remain in Europe but ready for a change of scenery, V.League 1 club Hoàng Anh Gia Lai, based in the centrally located city of Pleiku, gave his Vietnamese father a contract offer in January 2009 to pass along to his son.
The offer was much more lucrative than what he could have hoped for anywhere else, but by accepting it he took himself completely off the United States Men's National Team radar at the age of 23 after just three appearances.
[7] Nguyen became the Vietnamese league's first American player when he signed with Hoàng Anh Gia Lai on January 17, 2009.
[5] His desire to play for the U.S. was rekindled, however, by the August 2011 hiring of head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, whose style Nguyen hoped would better fit his midfield skills.
Despite a large new contract offer in Vietnam, he decided to return to the U.S.[7] Nguyen signed a multi-year deal with Major League Soccer on December 7, 2011, and was originally allocated to the Vancouver Whitecaps FC in a weighted lottery.
He finished second on the team in scoring with five goals (two assists) and was voted the Midnight Riders Man of Year by the fans.
[12] In 2013, Nguyen appeared in 33 league matches, scoring four goals and recording seven assists, helping the Revolution reach the playoffs for the first time since 2009.
[12] In August 2017, The Revolution reportedly rejected a $1 million bid for Nguyen from Israeli Premier League side Maccabi Haifa.
[26] Nguyen was traded back to the Revolution on September 8, 2020, for a fourth-round selection in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft and up to $50,000 in General Allocation Money.
[27] Nguyen made 12 appearances for the Revolution in 2020, starting 8 matches and scoring one goal, an 80th-minute penalty against NYCFC on October 11.
[30] On August 8, 2021, Nguyen left Ho Chi Minh City to return in Texas as the 2021 V.League 1 season ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam.
[34] After playing for several United States junior level squads, namely the under-18s, under-20s, and under-23s, including being the only high school player named to the under-20 roster for the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, Nguyen made his debut for the senior United States Men's National Team in a friendly against China on June 2, 2007.