"Danny's fantastic leadership qualities make him a great captain," commented Academy head coach Adrian Gaitan. "We were teammates with 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 a great deal of experience and a super soccer mentality."

Leon, a 33-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.

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