Y-Lan Xuan Nguyen (born June 2, 2007) is an American college soccer player who plays as a midfielder for the Stanford Cardinal. She was named the TopDrawerSoccer National Freshman of the Year in 2025. She won bronze with the United States at the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.
Early life
Nguyen was born in Fairfax, Virginia, to Nga and Thieu Nguyen, and has two siblings. Her sister, Y-Van, plays college soccer for James Madison. She played high school soccer at Fairfax High School, earning all-state honors both seasons she played. She played club soccer for the Virginia Development Academy and was named ECNL All-American twice. She committed to play college soccer for Stanford before her junior year. United Soccer Coaches named Nguyen the National Youth Player of the Year for 2024.
College career
Nguyen played in all 25 games, starting 15, and scored 2 goals for the Stanford Cardinal as a freshman in 2025. She helped Stanford win the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) regular-season and tournament titles. She started every round in the NCAA tournament as the Cardinal reached the final, losing 1–0 to Florida State. She was named in the ACC all-freshman team and the NCAA all-tournament team and was named the TopDrawerSoccer National Freshman of the Year.
International career
Eligible to represent the United States or Vietnam, Nguyen began her international career training with the United States under-15 team in 2022. In 2023, she won the Montaigu Tournament with the under-16 team. She then helped the under-17s win the 2024 CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship, scoring one goal in four games. She was named in Katie Schoepfer's roster for the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in the Dominican Republic, playing in four games with one start, as the United States placed third, its best result since 2008. She was called into a development camp, training concurrently with the senior national team, in January 2026.
Nguyen was part of the USWNT under-20 roster at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Poland, making three appearances and one start. In the round of 16, she converted a penalty in the shootout as they lost to Brazil.
Honors and awards
Stanford Cardinal Atlantic Coast Conference: 2025 ACC tournament: 2025
United States U-17 CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship: 2024 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup bronze medal: 2024
Individual TopDrawerSoccer National Freshman of the Year: 2025 ACC all-freshman team: 2025 NCAA tournament all-tournament team: 2025
References
External links