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.
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Evander's last minute winner clinches a playoff berth for @fccincinnati. WOW pic.twitter.com/esgw1WLjNa
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.
High Hopes Heading Into Playoffs
For the club, though, it was a massive step as well. Since joining MLS in 2019, they’ve been among the league’s best teams, but have yet to advance past the Conference Finals in each of their three previous playoff appearances.
After falling out in the first round last season, they spent ample cash on the likes of Evander, Kévin Denkey and Brenner, with hopes of progress, and clinching a playoff spot with four matches to go keeps them on the right track.
At the same time, it also reiterates their faith in the project, after recently re-upping center back Miles Robinson on a deal that will make him the highest-paid defender in MLS next season, furthering the commitment to bringing a title to Cincinnati.
“It’s not easy to do. I think you see that historically, having a team make the playoffs year after year, it’s challenging for different reasons, so I’m happy about the consistency, but it’s also the expectation,” Noonan added. “This is where we want to be, this is where we expect to be.”
With the playoff berth secured, Cincinnati now look to their remaining matches with hopes of maintaining their newfound form and securing a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference, which would give them home advantage in the first-round best-of-three series.
But for Evander, as much as the team remains the priority, the possibility of edging out some of the soccer legends in MLS for the league’s highest individual honor is no doubt an attractive option.
“We shouldn’t need any motivation at this point,” Noonan said.
“Everybody understands what we’re trying to accomplish, and if you need motivation to go play and perform, that’s concerning. So I don’t think these guys need any more motivation.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Evander’s Heroics Clinch FC Cincinnati Playoff Spot, Raise MLS MVP Contender Status.
