| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | José Mauricio Cienfuegos | ||
| Date of birth | (1968-02-12)12 February 1968 (age 57) | ||
| Place of birth | San Salvador, El Salvador | ||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | ||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1985 | Racing Junior | ||
| 1986–1987 | Marte Soyapango | ||
| 1988–1991 | Luis Ángel Firpo | ||
| 1991–1992 | Atlético Morelia | 37 | (3) |
| 1992–1993 | Santos Laguna | 18 | (0) |
| 1994–1995 | Jaibos Tampico Madero | ||
| 1994–1996 | Luis Ángel Firpo | ||
| 1996–2003 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 206 | (35) |
| International career | |||
| 1987–2003 | El Salvador | 68 | (8) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2008 | Nejapa | ||
| 2011–2020 | Los Angeles Galaxy(academy) | ||
| 2023- | El Salvador (assistant) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
José Mauricio Cienfuegos (born 12 February 1968) is a Salvadoran former professionalfootballer who played as anattacking midfielder.[1] and is the current assistant coach to theEl Salvador national football team under the coaching staff ofHugo Pérez.[2]
Cienfuegos began his professional career in 1985 with Racing Junior. He played the next two seasons forSoyapango, and then moved toLuís Ángel Firpo, where he would play for four years.
Cienfuegos moved toMexico to play forAtlético Morelia in the 1991, and then signed withSantos in 1992. However, after just one season atSantos 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 championsServette andLa Liga sideLleida. Cienfuegos was close to signing with the Spanish side, but ultimately he was not offered a contract, and he returned to Mexico with a brief stint atTampico Madero during the second half of the1994-95 season.
Cienfuegos played two more seasons with Luis Ángel Firpo before joiningMajor League Soccer for its inaugural 1996 season. Cienfuegos played forLos Angeles Galaxy for eight years as a midfielder, from 1996 until his retirement after the 2003 season. During those years, he established himself, along withCarlos Valderrama,Marco Etcheverry, andPeter Nowak, as one of the best playmakers in the league. He was elected to theMLS Best XI three times, in 1996, 1998, and 1999, and played in sevenMLS All-Star Games as a central midfielder. During his MLS career, Galaxy won the 2000CONCACAF Champions Cup, the 2001U.S. Open Cup, and the 2002MLS Cup. He finished his MLS career with 78 assists and 35 goals in 206 games for the club.
Cienfuegos was an important player for theEl 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 32FIFA World Cup qualification matches[3] and played at the1995 UNCAF Nations Cup[4] as well as the1996[5] and1998 CONCACAF Gold Cups.[6]
Cienfuegos played his final international game in July 2003, in a testimonial match againstMexico, played at the Galaxy'sHome Depot Center.
| # | 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 |
Cienfuegos was appointed head coach ofNejapa in El Salvador'sPrimera 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.[7] On 22 June 2011, it was announced that Mauricio Cienfuegos had been appointed as a technical coach for the LA Galaxy Academy.[8] In January 2023, Cienfuegos was appointed to become assistant coach for the El Salvador national team.
CD Luis Ángel Firpo
Los Angeles Galaxy
Individual
Cienfuegos lives with his wife and three children in theSan Gabriel Valley, California.[15]
El Salvador squads | |||||||
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