Leroy DeLeon is a retired

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

striker who played in the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

and Major Indoor Soccer League. DeLeon graduated from Saint Benedict's College. In 1967, he signed with the

New York Generals The New York Generals were an American professional soccer team based in New York City that competed in the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) in 1967 and the North American Soccer League (NASL) in 1968. Founded as charter members o ...

of the National Professional Soccer League. In 1968, the NPSL merged with the

United Soccer Association The United Soccer Association was a professional soccer league featuring teams based in the United States and Canada. The league survived only one season before merging with the National Professional Soccer League to form the North American S ...

to form the

. DeLeon and the Generals spent the 1968 season in the NASL. In 1969, DeLeon moved to the

Washington Darts The Washington Darts were an American association football, soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that played in the American Soccer League (1933-1983), American Soccer League from 1967 to 1969 and the North American Soccer League (1968-1984), N ...

, then in the American Soccer League. He was a 1970 First Team All Star in the NASL. Following the 1971 season, the Darts moved to

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

and became the

Miami Gatos The Miami Toros was a professional soccer team in the North American Soccer League from 1972 to 1976. The club was founded in 1967 as the Washington Darts, and moved to Miami, where they played the 1972 season in the NASL's Southern Division ...

. DeLeon did not play in the NASL in 1972. In May 1974, Miami ''(now renamed the Toros)'' traded DeLeon to the

Washington Diplomats The Washington Diplomats were an American soccer club representing Washington, D.C. Throughout their playing existence, the club played their home games at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium and indoor home matches at the neighboring D.C. Arm ...

for cash and the Diplomats 1974 first round draft choice. In April 1977, the Diplomats traded DeLeon to the

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...

in exchange for

Mark Liveric Mirko "Mark" Liveric ( hr, Liverić; born August 16, 1953) is an American retired soccer forward who spent eight years in the North American Soccer League and seven in the Major Indoor Soccer League. He also earned sixteen caps, scoring three ...

.''Dips Must Grit and Bear It on Road'' The Washington Post(DC) - Sunday, May 1, 1977 He finished his NASL career in 1979 with the

Seattle Sounders Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club w ...

. In the fall of 1979, DeLeon moved to the

Detroit Lightning The Detroit Lightning was a Major Indoor Soccer League franchise which existed for only one season, 1979–1980. The Lightning finished that season at 15–17. The team's home arena was Cobo Arena. On May 28, 1980, at the end of the 1979–1980 ...

of the Major Indoor Soccer League. The Lightning traded him to the

Phoenix Inferno The Phoenix Inferno was an American indoor soccer team in Phoenix, Arizona, that played in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1980 to 1983. In 1983 new ownership renamed the team the Phoenix Pride. The Pride folded at the end of the 1983–19 ...

where he retired after three seasons. He also played at international level for

. His son is fellow player

Nick DeLeon Nicholas Lee DeLeon (born July 17, 1990) is an American soccer player. Although he is capable of playing as a full-back, he typically plays as a wide midfielder, working towards the center. He is highly regarded for his work rate and 1-on-1 ski ...

. In 2008, he was inducted into the Trinidad and Tobago Sports Hall of Fame.

References

External links

NASL career stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deleon, Leroy 1948 births Living people American Soccer League (1933–1983) players Detroit Lightning players Expatriate soccer players in the United States Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players National Professional Soccer League (1967) players New York Generals (NPSL) players New York Generals players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players Phoenix Inferno players San Jose Earthquakes (1974–1988) players Seattle Sounders (1974–1983) players Sportspeople from Port of Spain TT Pro League managers Trinidad and Tobago footballers Trinidad and Tobago expatriate footballers Trinidad and Tobago international footballers Trinidad and Tobago expatriate sportspeople in the United States Washington Diplomats (NASL) players Washington Darts players Miami Toros players Association football forwards Trinidad and Tobago football managers