Darwin Adelso Cerén Delgado (born 31 December 1989) is a Salvadoran professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who plays as a
defensive midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
for
Primera División club
Águila, which he
captains
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
, 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
Club Deportivo Juventud Independiente, also commonly known as Juventud Independiente, is a professional Salvadoran football club, based in San Juan Opico, La Libertad, El Salvador.
Founded on 7 September 1943, holding home matches at Complejo ...
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.
Along with his brother
Óscar, he helped them earn promotion from the
second division to the
first division, with both brothers scoring in the final.
In total, he made 87 appearances for the club and scored 15 goals before departing in February 2014.
In the summer of 2013, he went on trial with
Balıkesirspor of the
Turkish second division, but a deal did not worked out.
Orlando City SC
It was announced on 6 February 2014 that Cerén had signed for
Orlando City SC
Orlando City Soccer Club is an American professional soccer club based in Orlando, Florida. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Owned by Zygi, Leonard, and Mark Wilf, it is the sister club of ...
of
USL Pro
The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) as its premier league for men above USL League One. Operating under a f ...
for the
2014 USL Pro season and for 2015 as
Orlando
Orlando commonly refers to:
* Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States
Orlando may also refer to:
People
* Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name
* Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...
entered
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
, becoming the club's third addition to their MLS roster.
Cerén made his Orlando City debut on 22 March in a 1–1 draw with the
Charleston Battery
The Charleston Battery are an American professional association football, soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are the oldest continuously operating professional socc ...
. On 16 August he scored his first two goals for the club, picking up a brace in a 3–1 win over the
Harrisburg City Islanders
Harrisburg City Islanders, known as Penn FC in their final season, were an American professional soccer team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 2003, the team most recently played in the USL Pro, the second tier of the ...
.
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.
Cerén made his MLS debut on 8 March 2015 in a 1–1 draw with
New York City FC
New York City Football Club (often referred to as NYCFC) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in New York City. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern C ...
. He scored his first MLS goal in a 4–0 win over the
LA Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...
on 17 May.
On August 8, Cerén scored once in a 5–2 win over the
Columbus Crew
The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 cha ...
. He enjoyed a strong first season in MLS, ending the year with 2 goals and 2 assists from 26 games, being named Orlando City Players’ Player of the Year, and winning the 2015 MLS Latino del Año award.
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.
San Jose Earthquakes
On 3 August 2016, Darwin Cerén was acquired by the
San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional association football, soccer club based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Origin ...
in exchange for midfielder
Matías Pérez García and an international roster slot through the end of the 2016 MLS season. He made his Earthquakes debut on 5 August in a 0–0 draw with
NYCFC.
Cerén ended his first season with twelve appearances, nine of them being starts.
He was not able to help the Earthquakes save their 2016 season, as San Jose finished ninth in the
Western Conference and failed to qualify for the playoffs.

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.
Cerén would play the full 90 minutes of their knockout round matchup with the
Vancouver Whitecaps
Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March 18, ...
, but San Jose would lose 5–0.
Houston Dynamo
On 19 January 2018, Cerén was traded to the
Houston Dynamo
Houston Dynamo Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Established on December 15, 2005, the club was founded after their fo ...
in exchange for $100,000 in General Allocation Money and $75,000 in Targeted Allocation Money. He made his Dynamo debut on 3 March 2018 in a 4–0 win over
Atlanta United
Atlanta United FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Atlanta. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. Domestically, the club has won o ...
, a game in which he scored his first goal since 2015.
He picked up a leg injury on 11 May that forced him to miss just over a month. Cerén helped the Dynamo win the
2018 US Open Cup, making three appearances in the tournament, including in the final, and picking up one assist along the way. He made 27 appearances and scored one goal across all competitions in his first season with Houston.
Despite a successful cup run, it was a disappointing league campaign for Houston, missing out on the playoffs after finishing ninth in the
Western Conference.
Cerén and the Dynamo opened the 2019 season on 19 February, with Cerén making his
CONCACAF Champions League
The CONCACAF Champions Cup, formerly known as CONCACAF Champions League (2008–2023), is an international association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for clubs from North America, Central America, ...
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
The New England Revolution are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the Greater Boston area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. It is on ...
.
The offseason addition of Matías Vera saw playing time harder to come by for Cerén in his second season in Houston. He would only make 16 appearances in all competitions in the year, with only six of them being starts.
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
Tabaré "Tab" Ramos Ricciardi (born September 21, 1966) is an American former soccer player and coach.
Over his thirteen-year professional career, Ramos played as a midfielder in Spain, Mexico, and the United States. The first player to sign wi ...
, 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.
On October 7, Cerén scored once in a 20-win over FC Dallas. 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.
Despite the strong season from Cerén, it was another disappointing year for the Dynamo, finishing last in the Western Conference and missing the playoffs for the third consecutive year.
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
Austin FC is an American professional soccer club based in Austin, Texas. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 2018, the club began play in the 2021 season. Their home stadium is Q ...
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.
His contract expired following the 2022 season.
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.
International career
Darwin Cerén made his debut for
El Salvador
El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...
in a
friendly against
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
on 24 May 2012. The game ended in a 2–2 draw.
He scored his first goal against
Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
in a 2–1 loss.
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
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, 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
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
,
2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
,
2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
,
2019
This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year.
Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
, and
2021
Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
) and a part of 3
Copa Centroamericana
The Copa Centroamericana () was an association football competition organized by UNCAF as its top regional tournament for men's senior national teams from Central America. The tournament was held from 1991 to 2017, every two years in the years be ...
squads (
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
,
2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
, and
2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
).
On 10 June 2025, he featured in his 100th international match for El Salvador in a 1–1 draw against
Suriname
Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...
during the
2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification will decide the 45 teams that will join hosts Canada men's national soccer team, Canada, Mexico national football team, Mexico, and the United States men's national soccer team, United States at the 2026 FIFA ...
, becoming the first Salvadoran to achieve this feat.
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
The Segunda División de El Salvador (Second Division of El Salvador) is the second tier of football in El Salvador governed by the Federación Salvadoreña de Fútbol (FESFUT). Teams contest to promote to the Primera División.
The winning si ...
. 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.
Cerén met his wife Delia in 2010. They got married in a civil ceremony in 2012 and in a religious ceremony in 2017. Together they have four children.
Career statistics
Club
International
International goals
:''Scores and results list El Salvador's goal tally first.''
Honours
Juventud Independiente
*
Segunda División
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...
: 2011 Clausura
Orlando City SC (USL)
* Commissioner's Cup:
2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
Houston Dynamo
*
U.S. Open Cup:
2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
Aguila
*
Primera División Salvadorean :
Apertura 2023
Individual
* Latino Del Año MLS: 2015
* Orlando City Players' Player of the Year:
2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
*
Copa Centroamericana
The Copa Centroamericana () was an association football competition organized by UNCAF as its top regional tournament for men's senior national teams from Central America. The tournament was held from 1991 to 2017, every two years in the years be ...
Best XI:
2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ceren, Darwin
1989 births
Living people
People from Quezaltepeque
Sportspeople from La Libertad Department (El Salvador)
Men's association football midfielders
Salvadoran men's footballers
21st-century Salvadoran sportsmen
Salvadoran expatriate men's footballers
C.D. Juventud Independiente players
Orlando City SC (2010–2014) players
Orlando City SC players
San Jose Earthquakes players
Houston Dynamo FC players
Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States
Major League Soccer players
El Salvador men's international footballers
2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
Salvadoran expatriate sportspeople in the United States
2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
FIFA Men's Century Club