CINCINNATI – FC Cincinnati forward Brenner has been named to the MLS Team of the Week for Week 34, the league announced today. Additionally, forward Brandon Vazquez earned a spot on the Team of the Week’s bench.
Brenner earns a spot on the league’s weekly Best XI for the fourth time this season and for the fifth time in his career. The Brazilian forward notched his league-high third hat trick of the season Sunday at D.C. United to help lead FC Cincinnati to a 5-2 win on Decision Day.
With his hat trick on Sunday, Brenner now accounts for six of the 10 all-time multi-goal performances in FC Cincinnati history, five of which have come this season. Brenner has scored nine of his 18 goals this season since Sept. 10 against the San Jose Earthquakes.
Brenner and Brandon Vazquez, who earned a bench spot among the league’s weekly best for his fourth MLS Team of the Week honor this season, each accounted for four goal contributions against D.C., the second and third such performances in club history (Brenner, 4 G+A on 9/10/22 vs SJ).
Vazquez’s 53rd minute goal against D.C. United solidified three points for the Orange and Blue which followed his three first half assists. His three assists on Sunday matched a single-game club record (Luciano Acosta: 8/6/22 vs PHI).
Vazquez and Brenner each finished the season with 18 goals. Per Stats Perform, they are the first pair of teammates to each score 18 goals in a single MLS season.
FC Cincinnati finish the season having earned 26 spots on the league’s weekly Team of the Week this year, which is the most representations for the club in a single season (previous high: 2019, 16). The duo’s recognition is the 62nd and 63rd selection for the club on the MLS Team of the Week since FC Cincinnati joined the league in 2019.
A full list of 2022 FC Cincinnati weekly honors:
2022 MLS Team of the Week Player Recognitions
- Brandon Vazquez (Week 3, 4, 23-Bench, 34-Bench)
- Ronald Matarrita (4-Bench)
- Alec Kann (7-Bench)
- Roman Celentano (8-Bench, 10, 32-Bench)
- Luciano Acosta (9, 10, 11-Bench, 17-Bench, 29, 30)
- Obinna Nwobodo (15)
- Brenner (17, 20-Bench, 30, 32, 34)
- Álvaro Barreal (24)
- Matt Miazga (26)
- Nick Hagglund (29-Bench)
2022 MLS Team of the Week Coach Recognitions
- Pat Noonan (Week 3, 10)
The full team for Week 32 is listed below.
2022 MLS Team of the Week presented by Audi (Week 34)
F: Elias Manoel (RBNY), Brenner (CIN), Jefferson Savarino (RSL)
M: Daniel Gazdag (PHI), Djordje Mihailovic (MTL), Nicolas Lodeiro (SEA), Junior Urso (ORL)
D: Jack Elliott (PHI), Brent Kallman (MIN), Bryan Oviedo (RSL)
GK: Joe Willis (NSH)
Coach: Pablo Mastroeni (RSL)
Bench: Carlos Coronel (RBNY), Shaq Moore (NSH), Gaston Brugman (LA), Sebastian Lletget (DAL), Franco Fragapane (MIN), Facundo Torres (ORL), Brandon Vazquez (CIN)
FC Cincinnati will compete in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time in club history, with the Orange and Blue set to take on the New York Red Bulls Saturday, Oct. 15. Kick off for Round One is set for noon ET at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. The matchup will broadcast locally on Star64, nationally on UniMás and TUDN (Spanish audio) and on MLSSoccer.com/MLS App (English audio), and over the radio locally on ESPN 1530.
For more information on the Orange and Blue’s first appearance in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, visit FC Cincinnati Playoff Central presented by Mercy Health.
2023 Season Tickets are on sale now at fccincinnati.com/tickets. Fans looking for more information can contact a dedicated FC Cincinnati representative at (513) 977-5435 or e-mail tickets@fccincinnati.com.
FC Cincinnati are playing their fourth season of MLS competition in 2022, and their second playing at TQL Stadium. For up-to-the-minute information about FC Cincinnati, visit the team’s official website at fccincinnati.com, or follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FCCincinnati. Additionally, fans are encouraged to download the team’s official mobile app on the Apple App Store or Google Play for instant access to mobile tickets, team content and match notifications.
