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Mauro Cichero (footballer, born 1995)
Venezuelan footballer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Mauro Cichero is a Venezuelan former professional footballer.
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Early life
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]
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College career
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]
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Professional career
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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] After the season, he re-signed with the club for the 2024 season.[33][34] After the 2024 season, he announced his retirement.[citation needed]
Personal
He is the son of Mauro Cichero, who was a professional soccer player and represented Venezuela in the 1980 Summer Olympics.[35] His brothers, Alejandro and Gabriel, are also professional soccer players who have represented the Venezuela national team.[36] In 2018, he stated it is a dream of his to represent the national team like his father and brothers.[36] Born in Venezuela, Cichero is of Italian and Polish descent.[37]
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Career statistics
- As of October 20, 2024[38]
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References
External links
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