FC Cincinnati's newest Designated Player striker has got off to a strong start in his new colors and crest, scoring three times in three matches – helping FC Cincinnati advance in the Concacaf Champions Cup and winning the first MLS match of the season.
He became just the sixth player in club history to score in his club debut. He has already put his name in the club record books as the tied top goalscorer in club history in the Concacaf Champions Cup with Pavel Bucha.
After scoring his third goal in as many games on Wednesday night at TQL Stadium, in a 1-1 draw with FC Motagua to advance in the Concacaf Champions Cup, he said that FCC is not yet close to their peak and there is still a growing connection to be built.
"I think we are not yet 100% because there are a lot of players who don't have the ultimate togetherness yet, but we are still doing good," Denkey said postgame. "So it's good, when we are 100% with everybody, I think we will be very, very tough."
For Denkey, though, the relationship he is talking about goes beyond the pitch, or at the very least, it can be built off of it. While working together on the training grounds and in matches can be helpful in some areas, he believes the true path forward to success goes beyond the on-field relationship and into all aspects of team life.
"Every time (you're together) you need to build it, it is not only on the pitch," Denkey explained. "It's also off the pitch. Staying together, playing, traveling, every time together, it makes us more connected and tight. So it's all helpful. Everything, like supporting each other and in the dressing room and outside it to try to have this connection. Small things, it is not just on the pitch. So we are building it and it will come."
The relationships on and off the field will come with time; that has been a universal feeling among FC Cincinnati players, both new and returning. But until then, Denkey is excited not only to be scoring but that his goalscoring is specifically helping FCC find victory.
"I'm happy. And the most important is that those goals help the team. It is not goals where we are losing 3-2 and I score one goal, or I score two goals. The most important thing is that I'm helping the team – that's the most important thing for me."
Anunga gets the armband
Another universal talking point early in the season from many FC Cincinnati players and coaches is the belief that the locker room has plenty of leaders. At the moment, while FCC continues to grow into itself in 2025, the responsibility for leadership is on the collective rather than any one individual.
Miles Robinson has been the captain of the team through the first three games, wearing the armband and representing himself and the club with distinction. But in the second half of the match with Honduran side FC Motagua in the Concacaf Champions Cup at TQL Stadium earlier this week, when Miles Robinson was subbed off, a new man took the band for the first time.
Midfielder Brian Anunga took the armband and represented the club as captain, leading them to an advancing result in his 90-minute performance. Despite joining the club just this year, Anunga represents just how many leaders the club has and how everyone can play a role in leading.
"It's a proud moment for me. That means there's a lot of trust, and I wear this band proudly because this is a great club with great fans," Anunga said postgame from the Concacaf mixed zone interview space. "It's important to keep the standards high and be an example for the team."
Anunga has already become a popular figure in the team for his fun energy off the field, but his competitive spirit on it. FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan highlighted how, in his selection of Anunga as a captain in the second half, Anunga's ability to hold his teammates accountable and push them to success has been key to his performances early. Similarly, Anunga's teammates have already celebrated him by performing a dance he did at a team bonding event after Denkey scored his first goal for the club.
"We get along so well. As you know, he's from Cameroon and I am from Nigeria, and for some reason, he's been in Nigeria so many times – I don't even know. So he knows a lot about Nigeria. So with that, we have so much in common," Obinna Nwobodo, another player highlighted as a key leader, said about Anunga with a big laugh and smile on Friday.
"I think fitting in is because he's exactly what we want. Because he's someone that likes to give everything. He's someone that likes to fight. He's someone that doesn't like giving up. This is exactly what we stand for, what we try to do here, in order to make everyone ready to compete. So fitting in is not so hard for him, because he's already that. This (FCC) is where people want to fight. People want to give it their all, and he's bringing in the same thing."
"There are a lot of leaders in the team, I'm just following examples from the guys," Anunga said after the match on Wednesday. "There's a lot of experience here. There's a set example everyday in training and on matchday and it's that we defend with everything that we have and protect our home field. So it's just learning from all the guys. I'm learning from guys like Miles (Robinson), Obi (Nwobodo), DeAndre (Yedlin), Matt (Miazga) – even if he's out hurt – so it's easy to just learn from these guys."