Another game, another goal for Kévin Denkey.
FC Cincinnati's club-record signing scored again in Saturday's 1-1 Hell Is Real draw at the Columbus Crew, the fifth goal in his last six matches. The reported $16.2 million acquisition is now at eight league goals, just three off the Golden Boot presented by Audi lead.
Additionally, Denkey hit 10 goals across all competitions for Cincy, reaching the milestone in just 17 games for a new club record. The Togolese international bested teammate Luca Orellano's previous mark of 35 games in less than half the time it took the Argentine wingback to enter the Orange & Blue record books.
Dynamic duo
Perhaps most importantly, Denkey's goal came off a brilliant bicycle-kick assist from Evander, as both marquee offseason signings continue to build on the chemistry that has Cincinnati fighting for the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
"I think they show when they're closer to goal that the creativity and the understanding of how to find space and how to get a shot off and create an opportunity is strong," head coach Pat Noonan said post-match of his star duo.
"... When we simplify things, the game becomes easier. And how you can attack goal and how you can defend against the ball, everything becomes more clear."
Hard-fought derby
While Noonan wasn't thrilled with many aspects of Cincinnati's performance, he was happy with the character his side showed away from home against a ball-dominant and dangerous Columbus team.
"I'm proud of the way the guys represented the club on a night where we were second best," he said. "They suffered a lot, certainly more so in the second half, despite long stretches in the first half as well.
"But they showed good character on a night where we really struggled to make the right decisions in transition or have the right composure to just try to play."
With Saturday's result, Cincy are averaging 2.07 points per game, trailing only Vancouver Whitecaps FC for the best pace in MLS.
Draw aside, Noonan is optimistic about where his club is heading.
"They're doing a lot of good things despite, at times, a lack of chemistry. And it's not a lack of desire to get better," he said.
"... We're in a pretty good place. That's why I think we can be a very dangerous team as we're not at our best."
