Two and a half years ago, Brenner Souza da Silva and FC Cincinnati brokered a tense, drawn-out breakup. Four days ago, he talked his way out of being substituted, assuring FCC Head Coach Pat Noonan he had the game-winning goal in him. He did—and by completing his arc from prodigy to wantaway to playoff icon, Brenner and FC Cincinnati slayed the Columbus Crew, adding another delightful chapter to the storied Hell Is Real rivalry.
Brenner’s brace lifted FCC to a 2-1 comeback victory in the winner-take-all Game 3 of its first-round series with Columbus, the fifth and final edition of Hell Is Real in 2025. The Orange and Blue’s next mountain to ascend is Lionel Messi and Inter Miami on November 23 in a one-game Eastern Conference semifinal at TQL Stadium. More on that match next week.
Four minutes after Columbus’ goal in the 63rd minute on Saturday, Brenner one-touched Teenage Hadebe’s corner-kick header past Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte. In the 86th minute—after convincing Noonan to keep him in the game—Brenner flashed the skills that made him a reported $13 million purchase (then a club-record) by former General Manager Gerard Nijkamp in February 2021. With substitute striker Ayoub Jabbari and midfielder Samuel Gidi supplying hold-up play after Pavel Bucha’s lofted ball into the box, Brenner required one deft touch to deke a Crew defender and create enough space to lace a tracer into the corner of the net.
Two and a half months ago, Brenner and FC Cincinnati rekindled their relationship, seemingly born out of shared need. After scoring just twice in 665 minutes across two seasons with Udinese in the Italian top flight, his career required resuscitation. And FCC, leaning far too heavily on Evander as its creative engine, needed a proven commodity who could help immediately.
For all the melodrama, Brenner fit that job description. The author of 34 goal contributions (27 goals, 7 assists) during his first stint in the Queen City, he also boasted the added benefits of familiarity with Noonan’s system, the club’s infrastructure, and the city.
On Saturday, Columbus enjoyed nearly 61 percent possession, but in the end the two sides ended up fairly level in shots on target (4 for FCC, 5 for Columbus) and expected goals (1.6 to 1.5). The defensive effort was a collective one. Roman Celentano notched four saves, including a quick-twitch stop of a point-blank header in the 57th minute. Kevin Denkey didn’t have his strongest match offensively, but he did clear a ball off the line while defending a corner kick.
Other notable showings came from Ender Echenique, who regularly dusted U.S. international Max Arfsten on FCC’s right flank. Jabbari came on for Denkey in the 76th minute to trouble Columbus through the air and hustle defensively as Noonan parked the bus and threw the keys into the Ohio River. Evander improved in attack after his Game 1 and 2 struggles—still well short of his best—but did put in an admirable defensive shift.
Following a nightmare Game 2, FC Cincinnati responded with a disciplined vigor indicative of a win-or-vacation scenario. A midweek quote from Lukas Engel foreshadowed the effort to come.
“The worst thing we can do is sit after the game and say we could have done more. So I think it’s about preparing ourselves to go out there and give everything; die with the boots on. There’s nothing worse in this world than sitting back after a game and thinking I could have done more. So I think it’s about being prepared to do whatever it takes and get the win.”
Spurred on by a boisterous, orange towel-waving home crowd eager to see off the despised neighbors from up north, Cincinnati left no question about its effort. Nights like Saturday and the storylines within are what make sports, and in particular knockout playoff matches, so thrilling and uniquely human experiences. Whether Game 3 redirects any of the pain and sorrow still lingering from the 2023 East Final collapse is in the eye of the supporter.
In any case, the “Brenner Game” will live on in FC Cincinnati lore. I’ll preview the clash against Miami next week. In the meantime, FCC supporters should keep their fingers crossed that Celentano, Echenique, Gidi, and Miles Robinson stay healthy over the coming week while on international duty.
Grant Freking writes FC Cincinnati coverage for Cincinnati Magazine. You can follow him on X at @GrantFreking.
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