Mauricio Cienfuegos
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | José Mauricio Cienfuegos | ||
Date of birth | 12 February 1968 | ||
Place of birth | San Salvador, El Salvador | ||
Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | ||
Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1985 | Racing Junior | ||
1986–1987 | Marte Soyapango | ||
1988–1991 | CD Luis Ángel Firpo | ||
1991–1992 | Atlético Morelia | 37 | (3) |
1992–1993 | Santos Laguna | 18 | (0) |
1994–1995 | Jaibos Tampico Madero | ||
1994–1996 | CD Luis Ángel Firpo | ||
1996–2003 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 206 | (35) |
National team | |||
1987–2003 | El Salvador | 68 | (8) |
Teams managed | |||
2008 | Nejapa FC | ||
2011–2020 | Los Angeles Galaxy (academy) | ||
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only |
Mauricio Cienfuegos (born 12 February 1968) is a Salvadoran former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.[1]
Club career[]
Cienfuegos began his professional career in 1985 with Racing Junior. He played the next two seasons for Soyapango, and then moved to Luís Ángel Firpo, where he would play for four years.
Cienfuegos moved to Mexico to play for Atlético Morelia in the 1991, and then signed with Santos in 1992. However, after just one season at Santos Laguna, Cienfuegos became unhappy with how he was being used at the club and decided to try his luck in Europe. In the summer of 1993, he had trials with Swiss champions Servette and La Liga side Lleida. Cienfuegos was close to signing with the Spanish side, but ultimately he was not offered a contract, and he returned to El Salvador.
Los Angeles Galaxy[]
Cienfuegos played two more seasons with Luis Ángel Firpo before joining Major League Soccer for its inaugural 1996 season. Cienfuegos played for Los Angeles Galaxy for eight years as a midfielder, from 1996 until his retirement after the 2003 season. During those years, he established himself, along with Carlos Valderrama, Marco Etcheverry, and Peter Nowak, as one of the best playmakers in the league. He was elected to the MLS Best XI three times, in 1996, 1998, and 1999, and played in seven MLS All-Star Games as a central midfielder. During his MLS career, Galaxy won the 2000 CONCACAF Champions Cup, the 2001 U.S. Open Cup, and the 2002 MLS Cup. He finished his MLS career with 78 assists and 35 goals in 206 games for the club.
International career[]
Cienfuegos was an important player for El Salvador national team, joining the team as a teenager, and continuing to lead his national side well into his thirties. He has earned a total of 68 caps, scoring 8 goals, all of them during a home game. He has represented his country in a massive 32 FIFA World Cup qualification matches[2] and played at the 1995 UNCAF Nations Cup[3] as well as the 1996[4] and 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cups.[5]
Cienfuegos played his final international game in July 2003, in a testimonial match against Mexico, played at the Galaxy's Home Depot Center.
International goals[]
- Scores and results list El Salvador's goal tally first.
# | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 23 July 1992 | Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador | ![]() |
2–0 | 5–1 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
2 | 1 November 1992 | Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador | ![]() |
3–0 | 4–1 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
3 | 23 March 1993 | Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador | ![]() |
2–2 | 2–2 | Friendly match |
4 | 29 November 1995 | Estadio Oscar Quiteno, Santa Ana, El Salvador | ![]() |
1–0 | 3–0 | 1995 UNCAF Nations Cup |
5 | 3 December 1995 | Estadio Flor Blanca, San Salvador, El Salvador | ![]() |
2–1 | 2–1 | 1995 UNCAF Nations Cup |
6 | 8 September 1996 | Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador | ![]() |
5–0 | 5–0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
7 | 14 September 1997 | Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador | ![]() |
3–1 | 4–1 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
8 | 16 July 2000 | Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador | ![]() |
2–5 | 2–5 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Coaching career[]
Cienfuegos was appointed head coach of Nejapa in El Salvador's Primera División de Fútbol Profesional in 2008. Despite having a good first season, a poor start to his second season in charge and non-payment of his players led to him to resign as head coach of the team.[6] On 22 June 2011, it was announced that Mauricio Cienfuegos had been appointed as a technical coach for the LA Galaxy Academy.[7]
Honors[]
CD Luis Ángel Firpo
- Primera División de Fútbol Profesional: 1988–89, 1990–91, 1991–92
Los Angeles Galaxy
- (Runner-up 1997)
- (Runner-up : 1996, 1999, 2001)
- (Runner-up : 1996, 1999)
- U.S. Open Cup: 2001
- (Runner-up : 2002)
Individual
- MLS Best XI: 1996, 1998, 1999
Personal life[]
Cienfuegos lives with his wife and three children in the San Gabriel Valley, California.[8]
References[]
- ^ "Mauricio Cienfuegos llega a los 50 años". Retrieved 19 March 2018.
- ^ Mauricio Cienfuegos – FIFA competition record (archived)
- ^ UNCAF Tournament 1995 Archived 14 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine – RSSSF
- ^ CONCACAF Championship, Gold Cup 1996 – Full Details Archived 21 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine – RSSSF
- ^ CONCACAF Championship, Gold Cup 1998 – Full Details Archived 10 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine – RSSSF
- ^ Cienfuegos se va del Nejapa – El Gráfico (in Spanish)
- ^ Cienfuegos appointed as a technical coach – lagalaxy.com
- ^ What Ever Happened To: Mauricio Cienfuegos – LA Galaxy
External links[]
- Mauricio Cienfuegos at National-Football-Teams.com
- 1968 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from San Salvador
- Association football midfielders
- Salvadoran footballers
- Salvadoran expatriate footballers
- El Salvador international footballers
- 1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
- 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
- C.D. Luis Ángel Firpo footballers
- Monarcas Morelia footballers
- Santos Laguna footballers
- LA Galaxy players
- Tampico Madero F.C. footballers
- Expatriate footballers in Mexico
- Expatriate soccer players in the United States
- Salvadoran football managers
- Liga MX players
- Major League Soccer players
- Major League Soccer All-Stars
- LA Galaxy non-playing staff
- Salvadoran expatriate sportspeople in Mexico
- Salvadoran expatriate sportspeople in the United States