Juan Leone Cruz (born June 13, 1987) is an American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who played for

Austin Aztex The Austin Aztex were a soccer team based in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 2011 as a member of the Premier Development League, the team played the 2015 season in the United Soccer League, the second tier of the United States soccer p ...

in the

USL Pro The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) as its premier league for men above USL League One. Operating under a f ...

Career

College and amateur

Cruz made a total of 67 appearances for the

SMU Mustangs The SMU Mustangs are the sport, athletic teams that represent Southern Methodist University in University Park, Texas, United States. SMU was founded in 1911 and joined the Southwest Conference, competing against Baylor Bears, Baylor, Rice Owls, ...

and finished with nine goals and five assists. Cruz also played in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

for the

Austin Lightning Austin Lightning was an Amateur sports, amateur American soccer team. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2007, when the team left the league a ...

, the

DFW Tornados DFW Tornados (also known as Dallas–Fort Worth Tornados) was an American soccer team based in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1986, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Py ...

, the

Laredo Heat Laredo Heat Soccer Club is an American soccer team based in Laredo, Texas. The team competes in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, as a member of the Lone Star Division. The team plays its home games at the PEG Energ ...

and the

Austin Aztex U23 Austin Aztex U23 was an American soccer team based in Round Rock, Texas, United States. Founded in 2007, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2009, after which the franc ...

. Cruz won two PDL National Championships, the first in 2007 (Laredo) and the second in 2013 (Austin).

Professional

On January 13, 2011, Cruz was drafted in the second round (21st overall) of the

2011 MLS SuperDraft The 2011 MLS SuperDraft was the twelfth annual SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. It was held on January 13, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland, during the 2011 NSCAA Convention at the Baltimore Convention Center. The 2011 SuperDraft consi ...

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The club was established on ...

. On March 1, 2012, Real Salt Lake signed Cruz to a professional contract. After a NASL championship season with the San Antonio Scorpions, Cruz re-signed with the Aztex on January 29, 2015.

References

External links

*
Real Salt Lake profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, Leone 1987 births Living people American men's soccer players American sportspeople of Mexican descent Men's association football defenders Austin Aztex players Austin Aztex U23 players Austin Lightning players DFW Tornados players Laredo Heat players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players Sportspeople from Round Rock, Texas Real Salt Lake players San Antonio Scorpions players Seattle Sounders FC draft picks SMU Mustangs men's soccer players Soccer players from Texas USL Championship players USL League Two players