Some Questions with… Mauro Cichero

As the Charleston Battery get set to host the Black and Yellow Derby against New Mexico United, forward Mauro Cichero was on hand to answer some questions for us. As always, we’d like to thank Mauro for his time.

BYP: How difficult was it for you coming back from injury and did it make having to make the team all over again more special?

MC: Obviously when you have one of those season-ending injuries, there’s a lot of uncertainty about your future. That’s just how life works, but I think that motivated me to prove that I can come back and still play at a high level. It does mean a little extra when you can come back from one of those injuries where sometimes it means you might have to retire.

BYP: Joe Schmidt talked about how influential you’ve been in his time here, what has his impression been like on you and can you tell us anything we may not know?

Joe is a great roommate and a great guy. I think he brings a lot to the team, not just on the field but off it as well. I think he’s one of the future leaders of the team. One thing you may not know about him is that he probably has the best calves in the whole USL. (laughs)

You’re getting a run in the team, while results haven’t gone our way, how do you feel personally? Are you getting back to your form from 2020?

Yeah, with a lot of these injuries it’s just about getting as many minutes as you can, getting fitness back and getting your strength back. I’ve seen a lot of progression in my game since preseason and I feel like I can tell with each week that goes by I’m feeling comfortable and getting that confidence back and on my way back to being fit.

We see you once a week, it has to be tough in the middle of a poor run, can you see improvements in training?

It is different from day-to-day, and it’s things that improve slowly from preseason, the moments where then, you had to take an extra touch and now you don’t, your fitness levels and things like that. But we’re slowly improving and we’re hoping to get some results in these upcoming games.

While we’ve struggled, is there anything that has made a positive impact in your game or with the team so far this year?

Feeling the love! The fans’ support. I’m someone that always appreciates those gestures and that always gives me a little extra motivation to go out there and try my hardest on the weekends.

Thanks again to Mauro for his time. The Battery next face New Mexico United at home on May 14th. Kick off at Patriots’ Point is set for 7PM and if you can’t make it, the game will be streamed on ESPN+.

TOP IMAGE: MAURO CICHERO SHARES A LAUGH IN TRAINING WITH DEFENDER PAT HOGAN. BEN CLEMENS PHOTO