Danny Leyva

Daniel Ulises "Danny" Leyva[1] (born May 5, 2003) is an American soccer player who currently plays for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer (MLS). He was signed at the age of 15 by the club after playing for several years in its academy and on its reserve team, the Tacoma Defiance of the USL Championship.

Danny Leyva
Personal information
Full name Daniel Ulises Leyva
Date of birth (2003-05-05) May 5, 2003
Place of birth Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Seattle Sounders FC
Number 75
Youth career
Barcelona USA Academy
2017–2019 Seattle Sounders FC
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018– Tacoma Defiance 16 (1)
2019– Seattle Sounders FC 8 (0)
National team‡
2019– United States U17 7 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 4 October (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 13 October 2019 (UTC)

Career

Leyva was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois; his father Ulises had played in the youth academy of Club América in Mexico City, but left the sport to pursue a career in civil engineering.[2] He played for the Barcelona USA Academy in Las Vegas before joining the Seattle Sounders FC Academy at the age of 13. Leyva was placed on Seattle's under-15 team ahead of the 2017–18 season, but was later moved to the under-17 squad.[3][4][5]

He made his debut for the Sounders reserve team in the United Soccer League (USL) on September 29, 2018, during a 3–1 loss to San Antonio FC, becoming the second-youngest player in league history.[3][6] Leyva signed a full USL contract with the team the following month and began training with the senior team during the 2019 preseason, appearing in friendlies against the Portland Timbers and Club Nacional.[2] Leyva signed a homegrown contract with Seattle Sounders FC on April 9, 2019, becoming the youngest player in the team's history.[7] He made his first-team debut on June 5, 2019, as a late substitute during an away loss to the Montreal Impact, becoming the third-youngest player in the league's history.[8]

In October 2019, he was named to the United States squad for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil.[9]

Honors
Player
Seattle Sounders FC

Personal life

Leyva who has only played for U.S. youth national teams, also holds the option to be called up by both the Mexican or Spanish national soccer teams.[10]

References
  1. "Daniel Leyva | U.S. Soccer Official Website". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  2. Baker, Geoff (February 26, 2019). "Teenage dream: At age 15, Danny Leyva is already knocking on the Sounders' door". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  3. Mondello, Joseph (October 16, 2018). "Barcelona USA Academy". Seattle Sounders FC. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  4. Hammond, Andrew (March 8, 2019). "Meet the Tacoma Defiance's unflappable Danny Leyva, who's all of 15 years old". The News Tribune. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  5. "Seattle Sounders FC U-15". ussoccerda.com. U.S. Soccer Development Academy. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  6. https://www.uslsoccer.com/sanantoniofc-seattlesoundersfc2-971728
  7. Evans, Jayda (April 9, 2019). "Sounders contract signed, 15-year-old midfielder Danny Leyva eyes next goal: an MLS start". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  8. Baker, Geoff (June 5, 2019). "Shorthanded Sounders cough up two late road goals, lose 2–1 to the Montreal Impact". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  9. "Head Coach Raphael Wicky Names USA Roster for 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  10. Interview: Danny Leyva on being named to the USMNT U-17 World Cup squad. Youtube.com. Seattle Sounders FC. October 11, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
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