Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Mauro Cichero | ||
Date of birth | August 1, 1995 | ||
Place of birth | Caracas, Venezuela [1] | ||
Height | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) [1] | ||
Position(s) | Midfield, Forward | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Forward Madison | ||
Number | 14 | ||
College career | |||
Years | Team | Apps | ( Gls) |
2014–2017 | SMU Mustangs | 68 | (24) |
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | ( Gls) |
2016 | OKC Energy U-23 | 4 | (4) |
2020–2022 | Charleston Battery | 37 | (5) |
2023– | Forward Madison | 27 | (2) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 15, 2023 |
Mauro Cichero is a Venezuelan professional footballer who plays for Forward Madison in USL League One.
Cichero was born in Venezuela [1] and grew up in Norman, Oklahoma from preschool age until third grade, where his father worked as a soccer coach. [2] He then moved to Spain, where he played at soccer academies in Valencia, [3] before returning to the United States in 2011, following his mother's death. [4] He attended Norman North High School [5] and in 2013, he was named as the Oklahoman All-City Player of the Year. [4] He was named the Gatorade Oklahoma Boys Soccer Player of the Year in 2013 and 2014. [6] In 2014, he scored a bicycle kick goal to give his high school a double overtime victory, with video of the goal going viral. [7]
Coming out of high school, he was considered Oklahoma's top prospect from the 2014 graduating class. [3] He had originally committed to attend Tulsa University, but later decommitted [8] and decided to attend Southern Methodist University and join their soccer program. Cichero was a standout performer for SMU during his four year college career. As a freshman, he was named to the ACC Second Team and the All-Rookie Team. [9]
In his sophomore season in 2015, he was named the AAC Offensive Player of the Year, [10] was named to the NCAA Division I First-Team All-America, [11] and was a semi-finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, which is awarded to the top college soccer player of the year. [9]
In his senior season in 2017, he was named the AAC Midfielder of the Year [12] and was again named to the NCAA Division I First-Team All-America. [13] Late in the season, he suffered a serious torn ACL injury. [14]
After his sophomore year at SMU, Cichero joined the OKC Energy U-23 of the Premier Development League for the summer. [15] He scored 4 goals in 4 games for OKC. [16]
In the 2018 MLS SuperDraft, he was selected 29th overall by FC Dallas. [17] He fell in the draft due to an ACL injury suffered in his senior season at SMU. [18] He would not play that season, but spent the year rehabbing with the club with the hope that he would join the roster the following year. [19]
After not playing in 2018 due to rehabbing his ACL injury, [20] he went on trial with FC Dallas's USL League One affiliate North Texas SC, in the third tier. [21] However, due to continued injury struggles, [22] he did not make the club's roster for 2019. [23]
In 2020, he signed with Charleston Battery of the second tier USL Championship. [9] He made his debut on July 19, 2020, coming on as a substitute against Birmingham Legion FC. [24] His first goal came on August 5, when he scored in stoppage time against Atlanta United 2 to tie the game at 1-1. [25] He re-signed with the club for the 2021 season. [26] Early in the 2021 season, he tore his ACL, forcing him to miss the remainder of the season. [27] After recovering from his injury, he re-signed with the club for the 2022 season. [28] [29] Following the 2022 season, the Battery declined his club option for 2023. [30]
In January 2023, Cichero signed with USL League One side Forward Madison. [31] [32]
He is the son of Mauro Cichero, who was a professional soccer player and represented Venezuela in the 1980 Summer Olympics. [33] His brothers, Alejandro and Gabriel, are also professional soccer players who have represented the Venezuela national team. [34] In 2018, he stated it is a dream of his to represent the national team like his father and brothers. [34] Born in Venezuela, Cichero is of Italian and Polish descent. [35]
Club | Season | League | Playoffs | Domestic Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
OKC Energy U23 [16] | 2016 | Premier Development League | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 4 | ||
Charleston Battery | 2020 | USL Championship | 11 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 2 | ||
2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
2022 | 25 | 3 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 26 | 3 | ||||
Total | 37 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 5 | ||
Forward Madison FC | 2023 | USL League One | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 28 | 2 | |
Career total | 68 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 11 |