FC Cincinnati 2 have signed forward Kenji Mboma Dem (KEN-jee em-BOW-ma-DEM) to an MLS NEXT Pro contract, the club announced today. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Mboma Dem, who was selected by FC Cincinnati in the second round of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft (No. 56 overall), joins the Orange and Blue from the University of Dayton after spending one season with the Flyers. Prior to his time at Dayton, Mboma Dem played three years at the University of Nebraska Omaha.
Mboma Dem shined for the Flyers in 2023, leading the team with nine goals and adding three assists in 15 starts across all competitions. Mboma Dem powered the Flyers to an Atlantic 10 Championship title, highlighted by a two goal, one assist performance against Davidson in the conference semifinal, and an appearance in the NCAA Division I Tournament. Mboma Dem’s performances earned the forward a First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection.
At Nebraska Omaha, Mboma Dem scored three goals in his freshman season. Mboma Dem started nine matches, making his college debut against the University of Missouri-Kansas City and scoring his first goal against Eastern Illinois University which kicked off a three-match scoring run for the forward.
In 2021, the attacker appeared in a career high 17 matches for the Mavericks. Mboma Dem logged over 1,000 minutes of action and scored three goals over the final four matches of the season to set the forward up for a breakout 2022 campaign.
As a junior, Mboma Dem scored six goals, doubling his previous seasons mark, and added eight assists, a career high. Mboma Dem appeared in 16 matches and recorded five matches with multiple goal contributions.
Over the course of his career at Nebraska Omaha, Mboma Dem earned selections to the All-Summit Newcomer Team (2020), All-Summit First Team (2021) and multiple All-Summit Second Team selections (2020, 2022).
With Mboma Dem’s signing, FC Cincinnati 2 have now signed both of FC Cincinnati’s 2024 MLS SuperDraft picks (Brian Schaefer, No. 27 overall).
KENJI MBOMA DEM
Position: Forward
Hometown: Mantes-la-Jolie, France
Nationality: French
Previous Club: University of Dayton
