Mauro Cichero is a Venezuelan professional footballer who currently plays for Charleston Battery in the USL Championship.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mauro Cichero | ||
| Date of birth | (1995-08-01) August 1, 1995 (age 27) | ||
| Place of birth | Caracas, Venezuela[1] | ||
| Height | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfield, Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Charleston Battery | ||
| Number | 24 | ||
| 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– | Charleston Battery | 36 | (5) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 16, 2022 | |||
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]
Coming out of high school, he was considered Oklahoma's top prospect from the 2014 graduating class.[3] He 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.[7]
In his sophomore season in 2015, he was named the AAC Offensive Player of the Year,[8] was named to the NCAA Division I First-Team All-America,[9] and was a semi-finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, which is awarded to the top college soccer player of the year.[7]
In his senior season in 2017, he was named the AAC Midfielder of the Year[10] and was again named to the NCAA Division I First-Team All-America.[11] Late in the season, he suffered a serious torn ACL injury.[12]
After his sophomore year at SMU, Cichero joined the OKC Energy U-23 of the Premier Development League for the summer.[13] He scored 4 goals in 4 games for OKC.[14]
In the 2018 MLS SuperDraft, he was selected 29th overall by FC Dallas.[15] He fell in the draft due to an ACL injury suffered in his senior season at SMU.[16] 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.[17]
After not playing in 2018 due to rehabbing his ACL injury,[18] he went on trial with FC Dallas's USL League One affiliate North Texas SC, in the third tier.[19] However, due to continued injury struggles,[20] he did not make the club's roster for 2019.[21]
In 2020, he signed with Charleston Battery of the second tier USL Championship.[7] He made his debut on July 19, 2020, coming on as a substitute against Birmingham Legion FC.[22] His first goal came on August 5, when he scored in stoppage time against Atlanta United 2 to tie the game at 1-1.[23] He re-signed with the club for the 2021 season.[24] Early in the 2021 season, he tore his ACL, forcing him to miss the remainder of the season.[25] After recovering from his injury, he re-signed with the club for the 2022 season.[26][27]
He is the son of Mauro Cichero, who was a professional soccer player and represented Venezuela in the 1980 Summer Olympics.[28] His brothers, Alejandro and Gabriel, are also professional soccer players who have represented the Venezuelan national team.[29] In 2018, he stated it is a dream of his to represent the national team like his father and brothers.[29]
| Club | Season | League | Playoffs | Domestic Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| OKC Energy U23[14] | 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 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 29 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 5 | ||
| Career total | 33 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 9 | ||
American Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Player of the Year | |
|---|---|
| Offensive Player of the Year | |
| Defensive Player of the Year | |
| Midfielder of the Year | |
| Goalkeeper of the Year | |
2015 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer First-Team All-America | |
|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | |
| Defenders | |
| Midfielders | |
| Forwards | |
2017 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer First-Team All-America | |
|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | |
| Defenders | |
| Midfielders | |
| Forwards | |
Charleston Battery – current squad | |
|---|---|
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