FC Cincinnati’s Evander has been among the MLS MVP candidates all season, but Saturday night may have given him a massive boost.
Sitting tied at 1–1 with Nashville SC, the Brazilian midfielder took his chance in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time and smashed home a shot to give the home side a 2–1 win and clinch their spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
While Cincinnati and Nashville had traded chances throughout the night, things heated up in the final 20 minutes.
Evander helped set up new star signing Brenner for his first goal since rejoining the club after leaving in 2023 in the 73rd minute, before MLS Golden Boot leader Sam Surridge scored the tying goal in the 84th.
Despite the match seemingly coming to a level end, Evander took control, sending Cincinnati to the postseason and sparking bedlam at TQL Stadium by pushing Cincinnati to the next stage of their campaign.
At the same time, it also brought them an emotional boost. Cincinnati had won just twice in their previous six games heading into the match, marking a significant dip in form after their four- and five-match win streaks earlier in the season.
“Based on form, based on results, and how late in the game, you know, we find the goal, and the energy in that moment is something that this building hasn’t experienced enough recently,” head coach Pat Noonan said after the match.
“We can take a little bit of momentum from it and confidence from it and continue moving forward. But the timing of it, and the guys sticking with it to find that, is important to see.”
The standout showing brought Evander to 17 goals and nine assists this season, good for third in MLS for total goal contributions, trailing San Diego FC’s Anders Dreyer and Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi.
