Orlando City have locked up one of their most important players from 2015 to a long-term deal, announcing on Thursday that they’ve re-signed midfielder Darwin Ceren to a two-year contract with an additional two-year option.
Per league and club policy, further terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The 2015 Orlando City Players’ Player of the Year, Cerén recorded two goals and two assists in 26 regular season appearances for the Lions last year. The 26-year-old Salvadoran international led OCSC and ranked fifth in the league in passes per game, and was 11th in MLS in both passing completion percentage and average tackles per game.
“We are really pleased to have Darwin staying with us for many years to come,” Orlando City president and founder Phil Rawlins said in a statement released by the club. “He has proven to be a class act and is a well-respected player within the organization. He represents himself, his home country and our overall brand with a high level of professionalism.”
Cerén joined Orlando in 2014, when he made 23 appearance to help lead the club to the USL regular season title. Prior to joining to Orlando, Cerén spent five years with Salvadoran club Juventud Independiente.
He has 36 appearances for El Salvador’s national team, and has occasionally served as captain for his country. He appeared in all three of El Salvador’s games at last summer’s Gold Cup, and has featured in three of La Selecta’s four 2018 World Cup qualification matches.
Orlando City are currently in preseason training just outside of Orlando. The Lions will open the MLS season on Sunday, March 6, when they’ll host Real Salt Lake at the Citrus Bowl.
