D.C. United have announced that longtime player, Nick DeLeon, has been acquired by Toronto FC in Stage One of the 2018 MLS Re-Entry Draft on Dec. 14, 2018.
"Nick was a model professional for D.C. United for the entirety of his tenure at the club," Dave Kasper, United General Manager and VP of Soccer Operations, said. "He gave everything he had for his fellow players, coaches and the fans each time he stepped foot on the field to represent us. We want to thank him for his service and tireless commitment to the Black-and-Red and wish him the best of luck in his next chapter in Toronto."
DeLeon joined the Black-and-Red when he was selected in the first round (7th overall) of the 2012 MLS SuperDraft after success at the University of Louisville. He made his MLS debut for D.C. United when he came on as a 74th-minute substitute in the 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy on March 18, 2012. DeLeon scored his first career goal for the Black-and-Red 13 minutes into his debut to provide a consolation goal for United. He scored six goals and recorded four assists in his rookie season on the way to being nominated as an MLS Rookie of the Year Finalist.
After making his debut, DeLeon went on to make 180 MLS regular season appearances for United including 11 MLS Cup Playoff appearances. In seven seasons with the Black-and-Red, DeLeon scored 13 goals and recorded 16 assists in the regular season (four goals and two assists in post season play).
DeLeon went on to become an MLS categorical leader for United in games started (161 games played, 8th), games played (180 games played, 8th), minutes (14,180 minutes, 8th all-time), shots (224 shots, 7th all-time), and shots on goal (79 shots on goal, T-10th all-time).
DeLeon was also a part of the 2013 D.C. United team that won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. He also was a part of the team that were the Eastern Conference regular season champions in 2014.
In 2018, DeLeon recorded one assist in 15 regular season appearances after enduring an injury in May. DeLeon returned to fitness and scored a critical equalizer in the 116th minute of extra time to take the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoff Knockout Round to penalties.
