Deleon will play with Classics Elite G06/05, who are set to go against Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Seattle United and FC Dayton RL during the event in Dallas. She has proven year after year to be among the best in Texas in her age group and will have another opportunity to showcase her game against some top-level competition at the national level. There’s nothing not to like about Deleon’s game as she commands the penalty box with great efficiency, handling crosses and finishes extremely well. She has excellent reflexes between the posts and is very agile, making impressive stops with great frequency. She’s also solid with her feet and is typically very precise with long passes.

One of the standouts of the ECNL Houston Selection Game, Deleon has recently committed to Vanderblit. She’s coming from a spectacular high school season in Texas, in which she had 17 clean sheets and helped Georgetown make it to the State Tournament. The Classics Elite 06 goalkeeper is excellent between the posts, using her tremendous athleticism to make saves not many other goalkeepers would. Deleon’s shot-stopping ability is truly impressive and her acrobatic saves are a true joy to watch, but she’s also very efficient when collecting crosses inside the penalty box and when she needs to step out of her line to challenge opponents. Her reliable play makes her teammates have a lot of confidence in her.

Neliaj Deleon Neliaj Deleon GK Georgetown | 2024 #208 Nation TX /Brilynn Mueller, Team East – The goalkeepers for Team East were both standouts in the contest. Deleon made some outstanding saves in the first half – a couple of acrobatic efforts to frustrate the opposition. Mueller came in the second half with a calm approach and anchored the squad for the final 45. She was confident off her line and secure with the ball. She also withstood some physical challenges and kept hold of the ball.

Deleon’s highlight clip impressed me enough to search out full game film just to make sure the highlights weren’t a mirage. After watching some of her game film (no edit, four x speed), I can say the highlights are a pretty good representation of her game. She’s an athletic keeper and a bit of a surprise that a local program has not landed her yet. She is a more commanding presence in her box than many of her peers in this class – in saying that she is comfortable navigating traffic on corner kicks and attacks the ball. She has strong hands and quick reactions. She looks comfortable on the ball and does well in connecting passes from side to side.

There are a couple of areas of her game to improve on, but she should develop into a starting goalkeeper at the Division I level. She has the physical traits to be that good. From game film, I was impressed with her quick reactions while the sun was in her eyes. There are some qualities here that are rare for a high school junior.

Deleon is taking part in the National Selection Game on Saturday.

Deleon’s ECNL Houston Schedule