Mauricio Cienfuegos

Mauricio Cienfuegos
Personal information
Full name José Mauricio Cienfuegos
Date of birth (1968-02-12) 12 February 1968
Place of birth San Salvador, El Salvador
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Playing position Attacking Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1985 Racing Junior
1986–1987 Soyapango
1988–1991 Luís Ángel Firpo 35
1991–1992 Morelia 37 (3)
1992–1993 Santos Laguna 18 (0)
1994–1995 Jaibos Tampico Madero 13 (1)
1994–1996 Luís Ángel Firpo
1996–2003 Los Angeles Galaxy 206 (35)
National team‡
1987–2003 El Salvador 68 (8)
Teams managed
2008 Nejapa
2011– Los Angeles Galaxy (academy)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 27 February 2011.

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 27 February 2011

Mauricio Cienfuegos (born 12 February 1968 in San Salvador) is a retired Salvadoran soccer player who played as a midfielder.

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 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 ElSalvador 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[1] and played at the 1995 UNCAF Nations Cup[2] as well as the 1996[3] and 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cups.[4]

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  Nicaragua 2–0 5–1 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
2 1 November 1992 Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador  Bermuda 3–0 4–1 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
3 23 March 1993 Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador  United States 2–2 2–2 Friendly match
4 29 November 1995 Estadio Oscar Quiteno, Santa Ana, El Salvador  Belize 1–0 3–0 1995 UNCAF Nations Cup
5 3 December 1995 Estadio Flor Blanca, San Salvador, El Salvador  Costa Rica 2–1 2–1 1995 UNCAF Nations Cup
6 8 September 1996 Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador  Cuba 5–0 5–0 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
7 14 September 1997 Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador  Canada 3–1 4–1 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
8 16 July 2000 Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador  Honduras 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.[5] On 22 June 2011, it was announced that Mauricio Cienfuegos had been appointed as a technical coach for the LA Galaxy Academy.[6]

Honors

1988–89, 1990–91, 1991–92
2000
(Runner-up 1997)
2002
(Runner-up : 1996, 1999, 2001)
1998, 2002
(Runner-up : 1996, 1999)
1996, 1998, 1999
2001
(Runner-up : 2002)

Personal life

Cienfuegos lives with his wife and three children in the San Gabriel Valley, California.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Mauricio Cienfuegos – FIFA competition record
  2. ↑ UNCAF Tournament 1995 – RSSSF
  3. ↑ CONCACAF Championship, Gold Cup 1996 – Full Details – RSSSF
  4. ↑ CONCACAF Championship, Gold Cup 1998 – Full Details – RSSSF
  5. ↑ Cienfuegos se va del Nejapa – El Gráfico (Spanish)
  6. ↑ Cienfuegos appointed as a technical coach – lagalaxy.com
  7. ↑ What Ever Happened To: Mauricio Cienfuegos – LA Galaxy
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