The apex of the Aaron Boupendza Era at FC Cincinnati arrived less than four months after his acquisition. In a rare show of chemistry with Lucho Acosta—and nose for goal that briefly indicated he could be the missing piece in an MLS Cup run—Boupendza polished off an Acosta dish to seal a 3-2 win in Toronto that secured the Supporters’ Shield, the club’s first-ever MLS trophy.
Joyful, meaningful moments like that were rare during Boupendza’s troubled 14 months with the Orange and Blue. That sad reality hit me when I learned of his death last week after the 28-year-old reportedly fell from a balcony in China. There were multiple tributes to Boupendza over the weekend, including one from striker Kevin Denkey after his goal in FCC’s 3-2 triumph in Chicago (pictured above).
Boupendza was a soccer nomad, playing for six teams in six countries on three continents. The Gabon native was less than two years removed from leading Turkey’s first division in goals when he arrived in Cincinnati and scored in his debut, mere months after Brenner, the club’s star No. 9, had been transferred to Italy’s top division.
The acquisition was General Manager Chris Alright biggest “win now” move to date—one that not only cost the club substantially on the field but also on the balance sheet after Boupendza’s contract was terminated in August 2024. A list of incidents led to his messy departure with no meaningful interest in a transfer. Ownership received zero financial return on a $7 million investment.
In sum, Boupendza endured a brief, trying time in Cincinnati. There are surely those within the organization hurting badly from his loss, and his passing came less than five months after midfielder Marco Angulo succumbed to injuries sustained in a highway car crash in his native Ecuador. Real, personal tragedy has unfortunately infiltrated the organization of late.
Evander > Acosta, at least for now
I’m thinking of dedicating time in a future column on head coach Pat Noonan’s post-match thoughts on FC Cincinnati’s decidedly meh (but winning!) showings in recent weeks. For now, the Garys continue to skate by on talent and defensive organization as they still attempt to integrate new, old, and injured pieces.
Evander punched in a pair of goals Saturday, bringing his total to six in seven league matches. Along with a handful of other players, he’s just one score behind Philadelphia’s Tai Baribo for the MLS lead. Saturday’s display also got Evander to 30 career goals and 25 assists faster than all but three players in league history. The Brazilian, signed for $12 million to replace Acosta, returned to action Saturday after missing the past two contests with an injury.
Evander said post-match Saturday that FCC are “getting stronger.” “I think once everyone is healthy, I think we can definitely show that we are one of the best teams in the league. … I think this shows that even without some of our players we can match up with every team.”
Meanwhile, Acosta has three goal contributions (all goals) in nine matches for FC Dallas, which visits TQL Stadium on May 28.
FC Cincinnati returns home Saturday afternoon against Sporting Kansas City, which has won two of three since parting ways with longtime gaffer Peter Vermes.
Grant Freking writes FC Cincinnati coverage for Cincinnati Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter at @GrantFreking.
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