Midfielder Daniel Leon

Daniel Leon is the first-ever captain of the Long Island Academy.

"Danny's pedigree as a player and his fantastic leadership qualities make it
an easy choice," commented Academy head coach Paul Riley. "He was my captain when I coached the Long Island Rough Riders and he knows exactly what is expected both on and off the field. He is a great role model with massive experience and a super soccer mentality."

Leon, a 32-year-old Bellerose resident, grew up in Peru playing for the youth teams of the famed club, Alianza Lima. His family emigrated to the United States when he was 14 years old in 1989, two years after Alianza Lima suffered one of soccer's greatest tragedies. In first place in the Peruvian
league, the club lost all its players and coaches in a plane crash, then lost the championship to its archrivals, Universitario de Deportes.

Life was better on Long Island as at the age of 18, Leon helped lead the Rough Riders to the 1995 national championship, a team that Riley captained. While Riders such as Kevin Anderson, Chris Armas, John Diffley, Tony Meola, Jim Rooney and Giovanni Savarese would go on to play in Major League Soccer, Leon continued to play locally for the Riders as Riley became coach.

The two again shared a national championship in 2002.

Now Riley and Leon are re-united with the new Long Island Academy.

"As captain, I think that I can help my teammates with the experience that I have and to serve as a model on how to be a professional player," Leon said.