Updated 02/09/2021
FC Cincinnati announced the signing of Brenner Souza da Silva on Tuesday morning. The 21 year old will occupy an international spot on the MLS roster pending the receipt of his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate.
“Brenner is an important addition to our team as we build for the upcoming year, but also into future seasons,” FC Cincinnati General Manager Gerard Nijkamp said. “Despite his young age, he has already shown his quality on the highest level in Brazil with São Paulo and has the potential to become a top young talent in Major League Soccer. This move is a testament to the commitment of our ownership group to bring winning soccer to Cincinnati.”
The young forward scored 11 league goals in the 2020-2021 Brazilian Serie A season through 27 matches.
“I’m very excited for this new challenge in my career, I can’t wait to score many goals at West End Stadium,” Brenner said. “OBRIGADO for this opportunity, FC Cincinnati!”
Original Story
First reported by The Post Cincinnati and confirmed to Cincinnati Soccer Talk, FC Cincinnati has come to terms with Sao Paulo for the transfer of Brazilian forward Brenner Souza da Silva (Brenner).
The deal is expected to be completed Friday and should rank as one of the highest transfer fees paid by an MLS club for a player 21 years or younger with a report from ESPN being as high as $13 million. Cincinnati Soccer Talk has been told that the fee is much closer to $10 million plus potential add-ons.
Brenner attracted the attention of many clubs abroad after a season that saw him score 17 goals over 33 matches. He also appeared in 18 matches for the Brazilian U-17 national team including 7 appearances in the 2017 U-17 World Cup.
The young forward excels at an area where FC Cincinnati struggled in 2020, finishing. Per the analysis from Driblab below, Brenner’s finishing percentage compared to Gabriel Barbosa and Gabriel Jesus who earned their club’s high transfer fees when they went abroad.
Brenner is showing a very solid performance in finishing actions for a 20-year-old striker. His percentage of shots on target is 47%. That’s very close to the 48% that Gabigol averaged last year and higher than Gabriel Jesus (44%) or Matheus Cunha (38%) had at their clubs. pic.twitter.com/3TqpzRTrBI
— Driblab (@driblab) December 1, 2020
While it’s expected that Brenner would start up top in Jaap Stam’s 4-3-3, the move does not necessarily signal the end of Jurgen Locadia’s time in the Queen City. Locadia should have the opportunity to stay at the club at least through the termination of his loan in the summer.
As first reported by Brazilian outlet UOL, league sources have also confirmed to CST that FC Cincinnati and Sao Paulo have entered into an agreement similar to the one in place with German club Hoffenheim where academy or reserve players can be exchanged between the clubs.
Cincinnati Soccer Talk has also learned that more signings are imminent so stay tuned for the latest news and analysis regarding FC Cincinnati.
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