Cover Photo: OaxaCali Studios (IG: @daioodoes)
January 3, 2024 (CINCINNATI, OH) – FC Cincinnati and Liga MX side CF Monterrey have agreed to a deal that sends 2022 MLS Best XI Striker Brandon Vazquez to Rayados, sources close to the deal tell Area Sports Network. Vazquez, 25, joined FC Cincinnati after Nashville SC selected the now USMNT forward in the fourth round of the 2019 MLS Expansion Draft. Nashville traded Vazquez to Cincinnati for $150,000 in 2020 TAM.
Vazquez scored 28 goals in the last two MLS seasons with FC Cincinnati, including his breakout season of 2022 where he scored 18. Vazquez had offers reportedly from English Championship side, Middlesbrough, along with interest from Brentford, Hoffenheim, Cadiz, and Borussia Monchengladbach. German side Monchengladbach offered for Vazquez during the summer of 2023, a deal FC Cincinnati declined. Gladbach brought in fellow American forward Jordan Pefok, and the German side never made an official offer this winter window.
According to Tom Bogert of The Athletic, Vazquez’s transfer to CF Monterrey will be in the region of a $7.5 million transfer fee with another potential $1 million in add-ons, as well as a sell-on clause. Other sources state that Vazquez’s deal with the Mexican giants will be a 4-year contract, but sources were unable to confirm that with Area Sports Network.
FC Cincinnati adds to their busy day of news on January 3, as they announced their signing of USMNT centerback Miles Robinson earlier in the day.