This is part one in an ongoing series in which we profile the stories of some players making moves within the league.
26-year-old Senegalese winger Cherif Dieye joins Forward Madison for the 2024 season. He spent the last two years with Central Valley Fuego, and the shortened 2020 season with New York Red Bulls II.
For the former ACC standout and first round MLS Superdraft pick, it’s been a difficult road in a sport that can be unforgiving at times.
Here’s his story.
2023 did not go the way Cherif Dieye hoped.
After making 25 appearances in 2022, with four goals and two assists, a pre-season knee injury derailed most of his second season with Central Valley Fuego.
He eased back into the roster, making a 75th minute substitution on August 20th, followed by a mix of starts and substitutions through the rest of the season.
The last match of the season was a wild night in Richmond. Dieye got the start on the right midfield wing, and would go on to score two goals in a 5-4 win. He was named league player of the week and one of the goals named goal of the week.
It was quite the personal comeback to score a brace after so much time off. But after a last place finish, his club seemed likely to rebuild. It was on its second interim coach after Martín Vásquez departed in July, heading into an off season full of uncertainty.
With his contract expiring, Dieye was moving on.
Soccer careers can be full of promise, and then unforgiving at times.
After a successful four years at the University of Louisville, New York Red Bulls selected Dieye 15th overall in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft. The club assigned him to their USL Championship affiliate, NYRB II, and the season started on March 7th. He missed the first match, and the next week, the world shut down.
When the season resumed in July, Dieye joined the squad. He appeared in all 15 of the remaining matches, including ten starts, and scored one goal. When the abbreviated season came to a close, he decided to pursue other opportunities.
But sometimes opportunities don’t materialize, especially in the uncertainty of a global pandemic. He returned to Senegal to wait it out. There were a few trials in Europe, but nothing turned into a deal.
Faced with being a free agent as 2021 rolled around, he never gave up.
“I worked hard on my body and mind for the comeback,” he told us via his agent, “I knew I would return.”
The work paid off, as he joined Central Valley Fuego FC for its inaugural season, catching up with the club five matches in after settling visa issues. He made his USL League One debut in the 57th minute, coming on for Diego Casillas. He would go on to make 15 starts in 25 overall appearances.
“It was a good year,” he says. The club finished 8th in the table, missing the playoffs by just two points. Fuego announced Dieye as one of the returnees for 2023 in its initial roster decisions.
It was now his third year with a professional side, and with continuity. However, another setback struck in the pre-season with the knee injury.
But again, “I worked hard and had a successful comeback,” he explained, “helping the team in the final stretch and scoring goals.”
Did those two goals in the final match, along with the league honors, finally get the attention of others clubs?
Sealing the deal for a fresh start in Madison
After the 2023 season ended, Dieye says he received calls from several clubs around the league.
But when Forward Madison called, he perked up.
“I told [my agent], let’s seal the deal!” he exclaimed, “everything worked out.”
In the press release after the signing, Madison coach Matt Glaeser said Dieye “is powerful, aggressive 1v1, and can contribute goals and assists within our system.” Glaeser added that Dieye is “versatile and hungry to compete and improve his game.”
With a fresh start in Madison, Dieye will be reunited with Christian Chaney, with whom he spent the 2022 season at Fuego FC. The pair teamed up to provide all the goals in a 3-0 drubbing of Madison in September 2022, and Chaney assisted on one of Dieye’s two goals against Union Omaha in October of that year.
Can we expect similar magic when they take the pitch together in Madison?
Dieye should make his Madison debut on March 16th at Tormenta, and then at home on April 13th against the last club he scored on, Richmond Kickers.
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