As good as FC Cincinnati have been this season, the Supportersā Shield leaders arenāt without flaws ā most notably their lack of goal production from a Designated Player striker.
Enter Aaron Boupendza, the Orange & Blueās new DP signing who was unveiled to the media Monday afternoon and touted by general manager Chris Albright as the final piece of the clubās puzzle as they make a push for silverware this year.
āHeās a playerā¦ thatās shown the ability to score goals everywhere heās gone. And scoring goals in our game is the most important thing, itās the hardest thing to do,ā Albright said of the 26-year-old Gabon international.
Most recently a member of Saudi Pro League side Al-Shabab FC, Boupendza also enjoyed productive stints in France, Portugal and the Turkish SĆ¼per Lig. In the latter competition, he was the top scorer of the 2020-21 campaign, netting 22 goals and one assist in 36 league games for Hatayspor.
While on paper Boupendza fills the void left by outgoing DP striker Brenner ā limited to just one goal in eight appearances this year as the club negotiated his transfer to Serie A club Udinese ā Albright doesnāt consider him a like-for-like replacement for the Brazilian.
āI donāt feel like this is a big replacement, I think this is just a great addition to our group,ā he said.
A win-now move
So great, in fact, Cincinnati ā tops in MLS with a 13W-2L-6D record ā made the signing with the intention of winning trophies now instead of later.
āWe couldāve added a youth DP,ā he said of the clubās decision to take a more aggressive approach in the Secondary Transfer Window. āBut we thought someone with a little bit more of a proven record would give our team, our fans, a chance to, you know, maybe take a shot at something a little bit sooner.ā
Thatās a clear indication of the clubās MLS Cup ambitions. But Cincy are also in contention for the US Open Cup (they host Inter Miami CF in the semifinals on Aug. 23), as well as the upcoming Leagues Cup tournament.
āAll of a sudden where we sit today, you know we canāt deny that we have a couple of opportunities out in front of us,ā Albright said. āSo yeah, it definitely affected how we addressed this.ā
As for Boupendza, the striker is excited to get started with his new teammates ā particularly All-Star No. 10 Luciano Acosta, the man who pulls the strings in Cincinnatiās midfield.
āHeās an amazing player. I trained with him today,ā he said of the Argentine playmaker, who has 10g/7a this season. āā¦ I think with this player we can score a lot of goalsā
Vazquez staying put... for now
Boupendza is expected to share goal-scoring duties up top with Brandon Vazquez, currently on US men's national team duty at the Concacaf Gold Cup.
Despite interest from abroad, and Vazquezās stated intention to make an eventual move to Europe, Albright all but ruled out the possibility of the 24-year-old departing in 2023. German Bundesliga side Borussia Mƶnchengladbach is one reported suitor.
āBrandonās a big part of our success this season,ā the GM said, alluding to Vazquezās dramatic goal in front of the local TQL Stadium supporters during Sundayās Gold Cup quarterfinal win over Canada ā a game that also featured Cincinnati defender Matt Miazga.
āYou can see that those two guys are gigantic pieces in what weāre trying to do this year and going forward.ā
However, Albright did concede the club may not be able to hold on to Vazquez forever.
āWeāll obviously, you know, reevaluate as we go into the wintertime with Brandon," Albright said, "to help him achieve those dreams [of playing in Europe]."