Darwin Ceren

Darwin Adelso Cerén Delgado (born 31 December 1989) is a Salvadoran professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Primera División club Águila, which he captains, and the El Salvador national team. He is the most capped player in El Salvador history.

Club career

Juventud Independiente Cerén began his professional career with Juventud Independiente in 2009. Prior to joining Juventud, Cerén was attending university when his father lost his job. Unable to afford school, Cerén dropped out and started working at a brick-making company. While working there, he attended a tryout for Juventud and earned a contract. Originally he continued to work for the brick company while playing for Juventud, but soon quit to focus fully on a career in football. In the summer of 2013, he went on trial with Balıkesirspor of the Turkish second division, but a deal could not be worked out.

Orlando City SC It was announced on 6 February 2014 that Cerén had signed for Orlando City SC of USL Pro for the 2014 USL Pro season and for 2015 as Orlando entered Major League Soccer, becoming the club's third addition to their MLS roster. Cerén went on to make 23 league appearances for the club, scoring two goals and assisting on three others during the season. Cerén helped Orlando win the Commissioner's Cup for finishing with the best record during the regular season. Orlando failed to replicate their success in the playoffs, suffering a surprise defeat to the Harrisburg City Islanders in the first round. thumb Cerén playing for Orlando City in 2014Cerén made his MLS debut on 8 March 2015 in a 1–1 draw with New York City FC. He scored his first MLS goal in a 4–0 win over the LA Galaxy on 17 May. It was a disappointing season as a team, as OCSC missed out on the playoffs.

Prior to the 2016 season, Cerén signed a new contract with Orlando. The Lions opened the season on 6 March with a 2–2 draw against Real Salt Lake. However, Cerén was sent off late in the first half for a red card. After his suspension, Cerén returned and started Orlando's next 8 games before missing a month due to an ankle injury. He made 16 appearances and had two assists in league play for Orlando in 2016 prior to being traded. He made his Earthquakes debut on 5 August in a 0–0 draw with NYCFC.

After not appearing in the first three games of the 2017 season, Cerén then played in twelve straight games for the Quakes before missing a game due to two yellow cards. After he returned from the 2017 Gold Cup, Cerén picked up his first assist as an Earthquake to give San Jose a 1–0 win over the Colorado Rapids. The 2017 season was a better for both San Jose and Cerén, as he made 21 appearances and picked up two assists to help the Earthquakes qualify for the playoffs for the first time in four seasons. He made his Dynamo debut on 3 March 2018 in a 4–0 win over Atlanta United, a game in which he scored his first goal since 2015. He made 27 appearances and scored one goal across all competitions in his first season with Houston.

Cerén and the Dynamo opened the 2019 season on 19 February, with Cerén making his CONCACAF Champions League debut off of the bench in a 1–0 win at C.D. Guastatoya. He scored his first goal of the season on 26 June in a 2–1 defeat to the New England Revolution. Houston had another poor season in league play, missing out on the playoffs again. His contract expired at the end of the 2019 season, making him a free agent. On 20 December, he signed a one-year contract to remain in Houston.

Under new head coach Tab Ramos, Cerén had a larger role in 2020. Between 25 August and 5 September, Cerén recorded an assist in three straight games, helping Houston win each game. In a shortened season due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Cerén played in 20 of a possible 23 games, with 18 of them being starts, scored once, and recorded a career-high four assists.

Cerén made his first appearance of the 2021 season on 16 April in Houston's opening match, coming on as a substitute in a 2–1 win over San Jose. On 4 August, he picked up a red card after elbowing an Austin FC player in the head while shielding the ball. Houston went on to lose the game 3–2. He received an additional one-game suspension from the MLS Disciplinary Committee on top of the automatic suspension for a red card. Cerén ended the season with 2 assists from 25 appearances as the Dynamo finished last in the West again, missing the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

Ceren made 27 appearances, 11 of them starts, and had 1 assist during the 2022 regular season, with the Dynamo missing the playoffs again after finishing 13th in the conference.

C.D. Águila On 31 December 2022, Cerén returned to El Salvador, signing with C.D. Águila in the Primera División. He made his Águila debut on 28 January 2023, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 win over Santa Tecla.

Cerén captained El Salvador in the 2017 Gold Cup through four matches and led the squad to a 2–0 defeat in the quarterfinals to the United States, in the process drawing heated criticism for biting US defender Omar Gonzalez in the back on a corner kick during the game. He received a three-match international ban for this.

Cerén was on 5 Gold Cup squads and (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2021) and a part of 3 Copa Centroamericana squads (2013, 2014, and 2017).

Personal life In early 2015, Cerén received his U.S. green card which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.

Cerén's father played professionally in the Segunda División de El Salvador. Cerén is the oldest of four siblings. His two sisters, Brenda and Paola, represent the El Salvador women's national team, while his brother Óscar plays for the El Salvador national team and A.D. Isidro Metapán.

Career statistics Club

International goals Scores and results list El Salvador's goal tally first. No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 22 May 2013 Estadio Metropolitano de Mérida, Mérida, Venezuela 1–0 1–2 Friendly 2. 16 June 2015 Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador 1–0 4–1 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification 3. 7 September 2019 2–0 3–0 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League B 4. 12 June 2021 Warner Park, Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis 4–0 4–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification 5. 30 January 2022 Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras 2–0 2–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours Juventud Independiente Segunda División: 2011 Clausura Copa Centroamericana Best XI: 2017