Evander carried FC Cincinnati to a massive road win on Matchday 21 to earn MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra honors.
Fresh off his second straight MLS All-Star selection, the Brazilian playmaker netted two goals – highlighted by an ingenious free kick that opened the score – as the Orange & Blue topped Orlando City, 2-1, at Inter&Co Stadium.
The result gave Cincy their third straight win, moving them to within one point of the first-place Philadelphia Union atop the Supporters' Shield standings.
Evander, who joined Cincinnati over the winter from the Portland Timbers in an MLS-record trade, has produced 11g/7a for his new club this season, good for the third-most goal contributions in the league.
Saturday's two-goal output followed another two-goal performance from a midweek 3-1 win at CF Montréal, marking the first back-to-back braces of Evander's MLS career.
Additionally, the 27-year-old is the first player in MLS to register both 25 goals and 25 assists since the start of the 2024 season.
Evander is now a three-time Player of the Matchday winner, earning the prize in each of his three MLS seasons since joining the league ahead of the 2023 campaign from Danish Superliga side FC Midtjylland. He's the club's first PotM recipient since Luca Orellano on Matchday 30 of the 2024 season.
Evander and Cincy return home on Saturday to host Eastern Conference rivals Chicago Fire FC at TQL Stadium (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
The MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra is selected each matchday of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while an Instagram fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio, and online media.
