FC Cincinnati forward Aaron Boupendza will miss 6-8 weeks due to an off field injury that resulted in a broken jaw according to the club. According to the Athletic, the broken jaw happened due to an altercation outside of a bar resulting in being punched by boxer Quashawn Toler. The club has not commented publicly on the incident, as necessitated by Boupendza reportedly being the victim in the situation which is currently under police investigation. The team released the following statement.
“FC Cincinnati forward Aaron Boupendza is undergoing surgery Thursday on a broken jaw that he suffered in an off-field injury, and he is estimated to be out for 6-8 weeks.
“The club hopes for his swift and full recovery, and we look forward to having him back on the field as soon as he’s available.”
This season, the Gabonese soccer player has scored three goals in 13 matches in all competitions as the club has struggled to replace Brandon Vazquez after his departure to join Monterrey in Liga MX. The forward has also been suspended for disiplinary reasons by the club and sent home from the Gabon national team on multiple occasions. For the Designated Player, this is just the latest setback to happen since he joined FC Cincinnati from Saudi club Al-Shabab last summer.
The club is currently in second place in the Eastern Conference with 18 points as even with the lack of production from their forwards, Luciano Acosta has been able to do enough to keep the attack going. They’ll need more from Boupendza to unseat teams like Inter Miami atop the table as the season goes on.
