Kenji Mboma Dem has not had what some would call the typical professional rise to prominence, but he has made his name in Major League Soccer all the same. Now a regular name and face with FC Cincinnati, the French forward, who has risen through the club's ranks, has shown with every match that he is feeling more comfortable and, with that, his confidence is growing.
Mboma Dem, 24, first joined FC Cincinnati in 2024 when he was taken 57th overall in the MLS SuperDraft. The Dayton Flyer alum had a prestigious college career, but even before that, he had a soccer pedigree that stood out. The son of Patrick Mboma – a Cameroonian international Striker who led his nation to two FIFA World Cup appearances and an Olympic Gold Medal while at clubs like Parma, Sunderland and Paris Saint-Germain – Kenji was enrolled in the PSG academy and gained his soccer education there.
His move to America and through the professional ranks, while slow, has been marked by success at every stage, helping contextualize his success with the FC Cincinnati first team. While at Dayton, Dem was a first-team All-Conference player, led his team to an Atlantic 10 championship, and was named Most Outstanding Player of the conference tournament. After being drafted by FC Cincinnati, he led FCC 2 in goalscoring on the way to an Eastern Conference Regular Season crown in 2024 and continued his dominance in MLS NEXT Pro in 2025, finishing second on the team in scoring despite playing fewer minutes than the year before.
In all, with FC Cincinnati 2, Mboma Dem registered 24 goal contributions in 36 games over two seasons. Because of that, he earned himself a first-team opportunity and signed a contract with FC Cincinnati in July of 2025 with options for 2026 and 2027.
It had taken a while to break through at the next level, but now, with an opportunity at his disposal, Mboma Dem has taken the chance and run with it. In 12 MLS matches this season (eight starts), the French forward has four goals, one assist and added another two goals and one assist in the Concacaf Champions Cup, as well.
More importantly, with regular playing time and on-field experience, even to the untrained eye, Kenji Mbomba Dem appears to be improving and feeling more connected with his teammates, resulting in better play for The Orange and Blue.
“It's been his consistency in play that I haven't seen (before),” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said of Mboma Dem, praising his play after FCC’s most recent win over Orlando City SC in May.
“We haven't seen a drop. He's gotten the opportunity, and now gotten really… I wouldn't say gotten comfortable, but found some consistency playing higher up the field,” Noonan continued. “We put him out wide at San Diego, so he's played both, but I think his positioning ahead of the ball has been really key to how we can break pressure.”
Mboma Dem’s breakout moment came as a late substitute, when, in the dying moments of the April 11 match at Toronto FC, he scored an equalizer to help secure a 1-1 draw on the road while FC Cincinnati was down a man due to a red card — squeezing out a point despite all hope looking lost. Since then, he has started in all eight games for The Orange and Blue and contributed greatly to FC Cincinnati's strong end to the first half of the season, going 3-1-4 with 13 points in that stretch.
“In those moments when he's dealing with pressure, I think he's won a lot of 1v1 moments to change how the game works, or how the moment looks, where it could be a turnover or transition or us defending, and it's him recognizing how to connect the right pass, how to play under pressure, how to switch play,” Noonan said of what Mboma Dem has brought to the team. “ He's been pretty consistent in that regard, and building some nice chemistry with Evander, with (Dado Valenzuela), with Pavel [Bucha].”
The relationship-with-his-teammates element is perhaps the most visually telling. Mboma Dem is well-liked by his teammates and is often cited by them for his outstanding character and sporting talent when asked about him. As a French speaker, he can connect more directly with some teammates, forwards such as FeKévinKévin Denkey and Ayoub Jabbari, but as a fully bilingual English speaker as well, his ability to connect goes far beyond just those teammates.
“We're playing down a man. He's coming onto the field, and he does a really good job of just working with the guys around him,” Noonan continued. “Despite being down a man, he anticipates the moment and finishes the play. That's how he plays the game – just ready to make plays, and always willing to do what the team needs.”
If you’re looking for a late goal, he can create chaos and stretch the back line with his running. If you’re trying to defend a lead, his pace and pressure will challenge opposing attackers and effectively create an extra defender.
“I showed a play where he's recovering, and Ender [Echenique]'s tired, and he's sprinting back to cover that position at that moment,” Noonan continued on the defensive part of Barlow’s game. “So, that's not something you have to be worried about with Tom. It's just trying to give him the right information to help him go out and perform. On top of the effort, it's good to see the production, because that's important from your attacking pieces, so that part's been good as well. But he's been great for us."
But more than anything, Barlow’s willingness to do all of those things makes him a valued and celebrated teammate.
“Obviously it's not ideal when you're not starting a game, but he's got a great mindset. He works hard in training every day. He's always gonna be in the right spots in the games, and he's always gonna give everything for the team,” FC Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano said of Barlow after the forward scored his fifth goal of the season.
“So it's nice when guys that are always doing the work, don't complain, keep their head down, get rewarded with goals,” Celentano continued. “He's been doing it for us and I’m really happy for him, because he's a beast, and he's a great guy.”
The next chance to see Tom Barlow, Roman Celentano and all of FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium is on Friday, July 10 at 7:30p.m. when The Orange and Blue host historic English club Burnley FC in a Summer friendly. For more information on that match, including tickets, click here or call 513-977-KICK.
