 DeLeon playing forD.C. United in 2014 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nicholas Lee DeLeon | ||
| Date of birth | (1990-07-17)July 17, 1990 (age 34) | ||
| Place of birth | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder,Full Back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1998–2009 | CISCO Soccer Club | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2008–2009 | UNLV Rebels | 29 | (7) |
| 2010–2011 | Louisville Cardinals | 46 | (14) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010 | Arizona Sahuaros | 0 | (0) |
| 2012–2018 | D.C. United | 180 | (13) |
| 2019–2021 | Toronto FC | 69 | (8) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of November 7, 2021 | |||
Nicholas Lee DeLeon (born July 17, 1990) is an American professionalsoccer player. Although he is capable of playing as afull-back, he typically plays as awide midfielder, working towards the center. He is highly regarded for his work rate and 1-on-1 skills. He also demonstrates an ability to score with both feet.[1]
DeLeon played three years forThunderbird High School inPhoenix, Arizona from 2004 to 2007. DeLeon started his collegiate career atUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2008, and led freshmen in appearances with 18, starting in 12, and earned 3 assists in his first year.[2] DeLeon scored two goals and two assists in 12 appearances his sophomore year. In the summer of 2010, DeLeon took part in and scored in theU.S. Open Cup with Phoenix-basedNPSL teamArizona Sahuaros.[3]
DeLeon transferred to theUniversity of Louisville for the 2010 season. DeLeon had a successful first season with the Cardinals, starting all 24 games and scoring 8 goals and 3 assists, and was named to the All-Big East first team.[4] The Cardinals won the 2010 Big East Soccer Tournament[5] and advanced to the final of the2010 College Cup, where they fell 1–0 to theAkron Zips. In DeLeon's senior season at Louisville, he again started every game, scoring 6 goals and 6 assists, and was again named to the All-Big East first team. DeLeon's two goals in the Cardinals' first two games helped them to the quarterfinals of the2011 College Cup and saw him named to the Cup's All-Tournament team.[6] DeLeon was invited to the 2012MLS Combine based on his strong collegiate performances.
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DeLeon signed withMajor League Soccer on December 29, 2011, and was chosen with the 7th overall pick of the2012 MLS SuperDraft byD.C. United.[7] He made his first appearance for United on March 18, 2012, coming on as a substitute in the second half against theLA Galaxy. He scored D.C.'s only goal in a 3–1 loss, curling a right-footed shot just inside the back post, earning DeLeon a nomination for Goal of the Week.[8] On November 8, DeLeon scored the winning goal in the 88th minute to knock theNew York Red Bulls out of the playoffs and to takeD.C. United to the Eastern Conference finals, where United were defeated by theHouston Dynamo. DeLeon would feature in 28 games on the season, starting 25, running up a total of six goals and four assists. In the post-season, DeLeon was voted runner-up for the 2012 MLS Rookie of the Year award, losing out to fellowUniversity of Louisville alumAustin Berry of theChicago Fire. On November 1, 2018, DeLeon scored a volley in the 116th minute of an MLS Playoff game againstColumbus Crew. DeLeon eventually missed the decisive penalty as the Crew won 3–2 on PK's.
Following the 2018 season, D.C. declined the 2019 contract option on DeLeon. In December 2018, he was selected byToronto FC in the2018 MLS Re-Entry Draft.[9] DeLeon scored his first goal forToronto FC in the 2019 season opener on March 2, 2019, againstPhiladelphia Union.[10] He scored a goal against his former club,D.C. United on June 29, 2019.[11] He scored against D.C. United again in the2019 MLS Cup Playoffs on October 19, 2019. The game ended in a 5–1 win for Deleon's side.[12] On October 30, 2019, Deleon scored the winning goal againstAtlanta United FC in a 2–1 win.[13] He departed Toronto FC after the 2021 season.[14][15]
Born in the United States, DeLeon is also eligible to represent Trinidad and Tobago through his father, a former Trinidadian international. DeLeon was called up for Trinidad and Tobago's qualifying campaign for the2012 Summer Olympics but declined.[16] In January 2013, DeLeon was called up forTrinidad and Tobago's seniorfriendly againstPeru on February 6, 2013,[17] but once again declined. DeLeon stated his desire to represent the United States internationally but did not eliminate the possibility of representing Trinidad and Tobago in the future.[18] In January 2016, DeLeon's father told Trinidadian media that his son was ready to play for Trinidad and Tobago and was working on acquiring a passport for the country. However, as of October 2021 he remains uncapped.[19]
Nick is the son of Trinidadian international[16] and NASL playerLeroy DeLeon, who played with theWashington Diplomats in the 1970s.
On April 5, 2011, while attending the University of Louisville, DeLeon was arrested along with two members of the Louisville diving team after being found with a large amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Each were charged with one count of drug trafficking and one count of possession.[20]
DeLeon married his longtime girlfriend Jordan Trimble on December 14, 2013. They have two children, a girl, born August 10, 2016, and a son born September 2017.[citation needed]
In March 2021, DeLeon stated his opposition to modern medicine by tellingToronto Sun reporter Steve Buffery "I’ve never had vaccines. I don’t get the flu shot. I don’t get any of that. I don’t take medicine. I don’t take prescription crap. Any of that." He also stated that he will never receive theCOVID-19 vaccine. He went on to state that the numbers from theCOVID-19 pandemic, that at the time of the interview had killed 2.75 million people worldwide, don't matter to him "It doesn’t matter to me. I don’t cower at (COVID-19) numbers, all that b.s. I don’t care. I don’t have to follow the flow of what everybody’s doing. Nah. I run my race, period.".[21]
| Club | Season | League | Playoffs[a] | Cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Arizona Sahuaros | 2010 | NPSL | – | – | 2 | 1 | – | – | 2 | 1 | ||||
| D.C. United | 2012 | MLS | 28 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 34 | 8 | ||
| 2013 | 25 | 2 | – | 5 | 1 | – | – | 30 | 3 | |||||
| 2014 | 32 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 34 | 3 | |||
| 2015 | 29 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | 35 | 3 | |||
| 2016 | 32 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 35 | 1 | |||
| 2017 | 19 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | – | 19 | 0 | |||||
| 2018 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 16 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 180 | 13 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 0 | – | 203 | 19 | |||
| Toronto FC | 2019 | MLS | 32 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | 39 | 10 | |
| 2020 | 21[c] | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1[d] | 0 | 23 | 1 | |||
| 2021 | 16 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 21 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 69 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 83 | 12 | ||
| Career total | 249 | 21 | 16 | 6 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 286 | 31 | ||
D.C. United