FC Cincinnati's Pat Noonan reflects on Brenner: Both sides 'are just ready to move on'

COMMERCE CITY, Colorado − The countdown to Brenner Souza da Silva's departure from FC Cincinnati started in April when his transfer move to Italian top-flight side Udinese went final. From that point forward, whether he formally departed July 1, which was the agreed upon date of his exit, or later, his days at the club were always numbered.

Now, with Brenner back in his native Brazil receiving treatment for an ankle injury sustained during a match against D.C. United, the Brenner chapter in FC Cincinnati history is all but closed. Several reports, including one produced locally, have stated he won't return from Brazil to play for FCC.

Adding to that, FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan already has addressed the subject while speaking of Brenner in the past tense.

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For Noonan, the conversation of Brenner as a part of FCC's past started during a Thursday news conference ahead of the club's 1-0 win against Colorado Rapids and continued at Dick's Sporting Goods Park during a post-match interview with The Enquirer.

In both conversations, Noonan stopped short of confirming Brenner's departure was finalized but on Saturday he indicated his own readiness to reflect and move forward from the most expensive signing in FC Cincinnati history. Noonan did so with high praise for the player, as well as perspective on Brenner's FC Cincinnati tenure, including the closing weeks.

"I think it’s two sides that are just ready to move on, you know? The idea was for him to be in until July and that’s not the case but we’ve just got to move on," Noonan told The Enquirer. "This is how the cards played out. He contributed in a lot of strong ways for us and regardless of what we think about how it ended, it’s just time to move on."

"There was headaches along the way. It was never perfect and a lot of that stemmed from, you know, his early experiences but despite the challenges, he contributed in a lot of ways for our group and I don’t think that should be lost in how this has played out with him being away right now."

How Brenner Souza da Silva's time at FC Cincinnati ended

As part of the move to Udinese, FC Cincinnati and Brenner jointly agreed the player would stay on at the club through July 1. That was intended to help FCC remain well-supplied at the striker position during the busy, pre-Leagues Cup portion of the Major League Soccer season. Brenner's side was on board with it.

What neither side anticipated was the injury he sustained on a questionable tackle in the United match.

Two days after Brenner was injured in the match against D.C., he appeared at a May 8 FCC training session in street clothes and a knee-high walking boot, which caught the attention of some in attendance.

As time passed and Brenner didn't return to full-team training or matches, it became understood Brenner was concerned by the threat of further injury ahead of his Udinese move. He and his camp would look to continue treating the injury in Brazil ahead of the forthcoming Serie A preseason.

Consequently, Brenner's time at FCC would be cut short more than a month prior to July 1.

The club hasn't formally addressed Brenner's FC Cincinnati status yet except to acknowledge Brenner was in Brazil last week. But Noonan, speaking Thursday during the pre-Rapids news conference at the Mercy Health Training Center, hinted more news could be coming on the subject.

The Brenner era under FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan

Brenner arrived at FCC in winter 2021 for a reported eight-figure transfer fee and all the expectations that accompany such a high-profile move. That year, he spent most of the season playing under now-former FCC manager Jaap Stam before a brief period under interim head coach Tyrone Marshall, who now coaches the club's reserve team.

Regardless of who was coaching the club, Brenner languished on the four-win 2021 team. His eight-goal output in just under 2,800 minutes was thought to be a disappointment in many corners of the MLS community, and some labeled him a bust less than a year into his stay in MLS.

The roughly 18 months that followed, with Brenner playing in Noonan's and General Manager Chris Albright's FC Cincinnati, saw the club start to get its money's worth. The word "bust" quickly evaporated from the conversation.

Brenner's desire to play abroad spanned the full length of his FC Cincinnati stay. His camp's perception of a lack of progress by FCC's decision-makers toward that end caused occasional rifts, but both sides ultimately benefited from one another.

FC Cincinnati received from Brenner the goals it needed to reach the postseason for the first time in Major League Soccer in 2022. More broadly, he helped change the fortunes of a club that had only known losing in MLS.

And Brenner received a big enough stage, as well as the on-field freedom, to impress would-be European suitors. A patient coaching staff eased the rough patches and got the most it could out of the player.

The uneasy partnership ended with both sides getting what they wanted. Asked Saturday if the return on his coaching staff's investment in Brenner was worth the effort, Noonan told The Enquirer: "Absolutely."

Under Noonan, Brenner was streaky but also explosive and scored 19 goals in 37 appearances. Eighteen of those scores came last season from mid-June through Decision Day 2022, the final day of the MLS regular season, as Brenner was a key contributor to FC Cincinnati's first-ever MLS Cup playoff berth.

In what might have to be considered the biggest single-match performance in FC Cincinnati history, Brenner bagged a hat-trick on Decision Day 2022 to help FC Cincinnati cruise past D.C. United and clinch its playoff berth.

Brenner didn't have much end product to offer the 2023 club as it has mounted a record-breaking winning pace. He had one goal this season, although it was an early-season game-winner against Seattle Sounders.

All told, Brenner officially departs FC Cincinnati with a joint-club-record 27 goals in MLS regular-season play. He shares the record with Brandon Vazquez, who is the club's career scoring leader when including goals across all competitions.

Brenner's legacy at FC Cincinnati

For fans, Brenner will be remembered mostly for the positive moments − the big goals and the big wins.

Brenner could go missing for stretches and games but the recollections of his dominance − nights like when he put five shots into NYCFC goalkeeper Sean Johnson's net but refereeing decision resulted in only three of the goals counting − overshadowed and overwhelmed his lulls in production

Some soured on Brenner as he sought to leave the club. The absence of a proper sendoff at TQL Stadium won't make it any easier for some to digest his departure.

For the organization, Brenner's move to Udinese signaled the end of an important chapter in FC Cincinnati's history. Cincinnati had previously acquired talented players from major clubs but the acquisition of Brenner from Brazil's Sao Paolo in 2021 for a reported $13 million was Cincinnati's first foray into eight-figure, MLS record-breaking-type transfers.

The club hasn't made a move like it since. If a similar one ever starts to materialize in the future, that process will inevitably be informed by FC Cincinnati's Brenner experiment.

Noonan said during an April 27 news conference that his time working with Brenner was a learning experience.

"Like everything, it's a learning experience. I think we'll be better equipped to handle the next one, whenever that happens," Noonan said. "You try to take it in stride, and with the ultimate focus of, 'what's going to help our team win and how do you manage the individual in challenging moments?' I think overall, you know, we're still in a good place, despite knowing we're going to lose a key piece of our group. It's a great opportunity for Brenner. I'm pleased for him that, you know, he was able to turn a rough start with this club into a positive ending where he can fulfill a dream of going and playing in Europe."

Noonan also acknowledged some of FC Cincinnati's concerns during the transfer process and the learning experience provided to the club at large.

"Just the challenges of the length in terms of when the conversation started about a potential transfer to when it actually happens, and how you manage players in those moments because it's not easy. You know, we expect players, because they're top talents and pros, to be able to handle it without any distractions. That's hard. I think, you know, in Brenner's case, he did a lot of things well in the process. He probably learned some things, too − as did we − about how to best navigate it so you can focus on what your job is, and that's to be available for your club, and when the time is right and you're going to move on. Until that time happens, you've got to find ways to be present and help your team. ... As a coach, you have to find ways to have good conversations to make sure they're in the right mental space to be a good team player and help your team win games."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati: Pat Noonan discusses Brenner Souza da Silva departure