The future is bright for Seattle Sounders Homegrown Player Danny Leyva.
After bursting onto the scene in 2019, Leyva had a bit of a setback in 2020 due to a combination of untimely injuries and the compressed season schedule. The Las Vegas native has bounced back this year, though, as a steady contributor to one of the best teams in Major League Soccer. The 18-year-old midfielder has already amassed 21 appearances, including eight starts, in MLS this season. According to fbref.com, Leyva is among the best midfielders in the league when it comes to pressures and interceptions per match.
Leyva's promising displays for the Rave Green are starting to garner national attention, as he was named an honorable mention in MLSsoccer.com's column on the top performances from young players for Weeks 28 & 29. His excellent two-way shift in the 3-1 road win against the San Jose Earthquakes, a match in which he was partnered with fellow teenage Homegrown Josh Atencio, drew praise from the league site.
"Carving out central-midfield playing time on a team as fearsome as the Seattle Sounders is no small task for an 18-year-old, and Leyva's slow-burn first-team progression reflects that – which is quite alright in the big picture," wrote MLSsoccer.com's Charles Boehm. "The kid from Las Vegas made good use of the start Brian Schmetzer handed him in the midweek road win over San Jose, winning the engine-room battle alongside fellow teen Josh Atencio and underlining the Rave Green’s embarrassment of riches."
Leyva and the Sounders return to action this weekend as they face off against the Vancouver Whitecaps (6:00 p.m. PT; FOX 13+, Prime Video, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360AM | TICKETS) at Lumen Field on Saturday.
