FC Cincinnati forward Brenner is the MLS Player of the Month for September/October 2022.
Brenner completed his 2022 season with a bang, scoring nine goals and recording two assists in his final five regular-season games. That’s tied for the most in a five-game stretch in a single season in MLS history and helped propel Cincy to a 3W-1L-1D mark to close the campaign, while clinching their first Audi MLS Cup Playoffs berth during their fourth season in the league.
The 22-year-old Brazilian’s brilliant late-season run began with a hat trick and an assist against the San Jose Earthquakes on Sept. 10, his second hat trick of the season. He then added three goals over his next two contests at Real Salt Lake (two goals) and at Seattle Sounders FC (one goal), helping secure a much-needed four points over the two-game road trip.
On Decision Day and with FC Cincinnati on the cusp of a postseason berth, Brenner erased any suspense early in the match, registering his MLS-best third hat trick with all three goals coming in the first half of a 5-2 victory at D.C. United. Brenner also added an assist on teammate Brandon Vázquez’s second-half score, which made him the first MLS player since Landon Donovan for the 2007 LA Galaxy to record multiple games with at least three goals and an assist in a single season.
Brenner (18 goals, six assists) and Vázquez (18 goals, eight assists) are the only pair of teammates in MLS history to record at least 18 goals each in a single season, and combined with midfielder Luciano Acosta (10 goals, 19 assists), the Cincinnati triumvirate scored 46 goals this season, which was more than FC Cincinnati had scored in full in any of their first three seasons.
Brenner was one of two players in MLS this season to be named the MLS Player of the Week presented by Continental Tire on three occasions (Weeks 17, 30, 34).
MLS Player of the Month is voted upon by a panel of select national media members in a process conducted by MLS Communications.
