Evander had no doubts about it, he wanted to celebrate against the Portland Timbers.
Making his return to Providence Park after leaving the club in a $12 million transfer ahead of the season, the now FC Cincinnati superstar showed his MLS MVP contender qualities, scoring a goal and assisting once in FC Cincinnati’s dramatic 3–2 victory.
While fans booed and made less-than-friendly gestures toward him, he embraced the villain role and made them remember what the club lost when they couldn’t meet his contract demands in the offseason.
At that time, Timbers general manager Ned Grabavoy called the Brazilian “selfish” and someone who had “poor judgment,”—messages the 27-year-old took to heart in his performance and celebrations in front of the famed Timbers Army supporters’ sections.
“I wasn’t expecting them to cheer, but I think the sound was a little too much,” Evander said of the hostile reception. “I was just focused on trying to represent Cincinnati because that’s who I’m playing for right now and to win the game.”
EVANDER IN HIS PORTLAND RETURN. 😱 pic.twitter.com/ettzCwlaDy
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 17, 2025
In the back-and-forth affair, he showed he had no love lost for his former club, where he scored 24 goals and 24 assists in 55 regular-season games.
“I did everything for the team when I was here and for the fans. I was trying to do my best when I was on the pitch,” he added. “I feel bad as well that it ended up being this way, but I’m playing for Cincinnati now, and I represent them.”
Early on, Evander acted as a decoy to allow Kévin Denkey, who returned to the starting lineup after an injury, to score his 13th goal of the season. He went on to set up Pavel Bucha before smashing home the long-distance winning effort for himself.
His tallies brought him to 16 goals and nine assists on the season, ranking third among all MLS players, only trailing Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi and San Diego FC’s Anders Dreyer—competition for the 2025 Landon Donovan MLS MVP Award.
Evander recorded a goal and assist in a win during his return to Portland 😤 pic.twitter.com/idDF0iZIQu
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 17, 2025
“Evander has been what he has been all year for us,” head coach Pat Noonan said. “That's a difference maker, and then what we need to see out the game, he's putting in the work defensively to help see it out.”
Eyes on the Supporters’ Shield
However, the big picture is all Cincinnati cares about. Even with Evander’s continued standout form, the win was vital for the club’s hopes of winning a second Supporters’ Shield title in three seasons, as they rose to first in the Eastern Conference on 52 points with seven matches remaining.
After Matchday 29, nine teams find themselves within seven points at the top of the Supporters’ Shield standings, but Miami hold control on points-percentage, having played three less games than Cincinnati.
“It’s good pressure. The players understand it, I’ve said this through the whole process, when we were at the top, and when we dropped off, it’s going to be that way all the way through.” Noonan added, as Cincinnati look towards the remaining seven games, which include a critical Supporters’ Shield clash against the Philadelphia Union on Aug. 30.
“There are so many strong teams that are pushing for a Supporters’ Shield. The margins are small.”
READ THE LATEST MLS NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND GOSSIP
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Evander Embraces Villain Role With Standout Performance in Portland Return.
