Danny Leyva

Daniel Ulises Leyva (born May 5, 2003) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defensive midfielder for Major League Soccer club Colorado Rapids, on loan from Seattle Sounders FC.

Danny Leyva
Personal information
Full name Daniel Ulises Leyva[1]
Date of birth (2003-05-05) May 5, 2003
Place of birth Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Colorado Rapids
(on loan from Seattle Sounders FC)
Number 15
Youth career
Barcelona USA Academy
2017–2019 Seattle Sounders FC
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018– Tacoma Defiance 31 (2)
2019– Seattle Sounders FC 54 (0)
2023– → Colorado Rapids (loan) 16 (0)
International career‡
2018 United States U16 5 (1)
2019 United States U17 10 (0)
2021 United States U20 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 7, 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of November 16, 2021

Club career

Leyva was raised in Las Vegas, Nevada; 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.[3] Leyva 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.[4][5][6]

Seattle Sounders FC

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.[4][7] 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.[3] Leyva signed a homegrown contract with Seattle Sounders FC on April 9, 2019, becoming the youngest player in the team's history.[8] 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.[9] Leyva played in 12 matches during the 2022 season and had two assists as a temporary replacement for injured midfielders João Paulo and Obed Vargas until they returned mid-season.[10]

Loan to Colorado Rapids

On April 24, 2023, the Sounders loaned Leyva to the Colorado Rapids for the rest of the season in exchange for a future MLS SuperDraft pick and $92,000 in general allocation money.[10]

International career

In October 2019, Leyva was named to the United States squad for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil.[11]

Leyva who has only played for U.S. youth national teams, also holds the option to be called up by Mexico.[12]

Personal life

Born in the United States, Leyva is of Mexican descent.[13]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played October 7, 2023[14]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Tacoma Defiance 2018 USL 10———10
2019 USL 141———141
2020 USL 10———10
2021 USL 60———60
2022 MLS Next Pro 91———91
Total 312———312
Seattle Sounders FC 2019 MLS 6010——70
2020 MLS 20—1[lower-alpha 1]0—30
2021 MLS 240———240
2022 MLS 190102[lower-alpha 1]0—220
2023 MLS 30——1[lower-alpha 2]040
Total 540203010600
Colorado Rapids (loan) 2023 MLS 16020—1[lower-alpha 3]0190
Career total 10124030201102
  1. Appearance(s) in CONCACAF Champions League
  2. Appearance in FIFA Club World Cup
  3. Appearance(s) in Leagues Cup

Honors

Seattle Sounders FC

Individual

References
  1. "FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019: List of Players: United States" (PDF). FIFA. October 31, 2019. p. 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 27, 2019.
  2. "FIFA Club World Cup Morocco 2022™: List of Players: Seattle Sounders FC" (PDF). FIFA. February 7, 2023. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  3. 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.
  4. Mondello, Joseph (October 16, 2018). "Barcelona USA Academy". Seattle Sounders FC. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  5. 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.
  6. "Seattle Sounders FC U-15". ussoccerda.com. U.S. Soccer Development Academy. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  7. https://www.uslsoccer.com/sanantoniofc-seattlesoundersfc2-971728
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. Evans, Jayda (April 25, 2023). "In rare deal, Sounders loan Danny Leyva to Colorado Rapids". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  11. "Head Coach Raphael Wicky Names USA Roster for 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  12. 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.
  13. "América y Chivas sueñan con Carlos Vela, Chicharito Hernández y Jonathan Dos Santos; llegarían prestados". Soy Fútbol (in Spanish). August 13, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  14. Danny Leyva at Soccerway
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