FC Cincinnati have agreed to terms with Italian Serie A club Udinese for the transfer of forward Brenner Souza da Silva, the clubs announced today. FC Cincinnati have agreed to a club-record, multi-million-dollar transfer fee for the 23-year-old Brazilian.
Over parts of three seasons, Brenner has scored 27 goals and eight assists in 72 appearances across all competitions for FC Cincinnati. The Brazilian’s six career game-winning goals are the most in club history.
“We’re extremely happy for Brenner that he’s able to make this move and play in one of the biggest leagues in Europe,” said Chris Albright, FC Cincinnati General Manager. “Our ultimate goal at FC Cincinnati is to win games for our incredible fans, and we understand that developing players is central to attracting the best talent. This is a significant transfer for our club and is a testament to everything our staff has done in the past year and a half. Our ownership will continue to give us the resources to compete and this transfer only adds to that commitment.”
Brenner will remain with the club until the beginning of July, when the European transfer window opens and he can join the Italian club. His last game with the Orange and Blue will be July 1, 2023, against the New England Revolution at TQL Stadium.
Brenner’s career in Major League Soccer started with a bang, when on April 17, 2021, in his first game with FC Cincinnati, the then-21-year-old scored with his first career shot from the penalty spot against Nashville SC. Later in the summer on July 17 at CF Montréal, he scored the first brace in club history.
Brenner finished his first season in the league with eight goals, which at the time was the most goals scored in a single season for FCC. The Brazilian shattered that goal tally in 2022 in a breakout year for both him and the club, scoring 18 goals and adding six assists.
Last season, Brenner and teammate Brandon Vazquez became the first pair of teammates in MLS history to record at least 18 goals each in a single season. Combined with midfielder Luciano Acosta (10 goals), Cincinnati’s trio scored 46 goals last season, which was more than FC Cincinnati had scored in any of their first three seasons.
On June 29, 2022, Brenner became the first player in club history to record a hat trick with his three goals scored at TQL Stadium against New York City FC. Later in the year, he netted the second (Sept. 10 vs SJ) and third (Oct. 9 at DC) all-time hat tricks for FC Cincinnati.
Brenner’s historic end to the 2022 season earned him the honor of being voted MLS Player of the Month for September/October 2022. He became the sixth different player in MLS history to score at least three hat tricks in a single season and the first since Josef Martínez in 2018. In his final hat trick on Decision Day at D.C. United, he became the first player since Landon Donovan in 2007 to record multiple games in a single season with at least three goals and one assist.
Throughout his MLS career, Brenner has three times been voted MLS Player of the Week, seven times been named to the MLS Team of the Week/Matchday, and his superb 37th minute strike on Decision Day at D.C. United last season earned him MLS Goal of the Week honors.
This season, Brenner has scored one goal in seven appearances, notching the game-winner in the 1-0 win over Seattle Sounders FC on March 11.
Brenner joined the Orange and Blue as a Young Designated Player on February 9, 2021 via transfer from Brazilian club São Paulo FC. The Cuiabá, Brazil native made 61 career appearances, scoring 24 goals and adding four assists, across all competitions in four professional seasons in Brazil.
TRANSACTION: FC Cincinnati agree to transfer Brenner to Udinese on April 26, 2023.
