NEW YORK (Monday, May 25, 2026) – FC Cincinnati midfielder Evander was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob ULTRA for Matchday 15 of the 2026 MLS season.
Evander scored two goals and added three assists in FC Cincinnati’s 6-2 home victory against Orlando City SC on Saturday night (Watch Highlights From His Performance Here). The Brazilian midfielder became the ninth different player in league history to record at least five goal contributions in a single match, marking just the 11th occurrence in MLS history. The five goal contributions were an FC Cincinnati record and the most since Inter Miami CF’s Lionel Messi did so on May 31, 2025, against the Columbus Crew. In his FC Cincinnati career, Evander now has 48 goal contributions (27 goals, 21 assists) in just 46 matches and sits one goal contribution shy of Brandon Vazquez (49) for the second-most in club history. His 12 goal contributions (five goals, seven assists) in May were also the second-most across the league (Messi, 13).
After Orlando City opened the scoring early in the first half, Evander found Kenji Mboma Dem off a corner kick who equalized in the 42nd minute (Watch Here). The Brazilian then scored his eighth goal of the season in first-half stoppage time with a left-footed finish into the corner of the net (Watch Here). Orlando City equalized shortly after halftime, but Evander found Mboma Dem again in the 52nd minute to retake the lead (Watch Here). He then extended Cincinnati’s advantage in the 58th minute after darting through the Orlando defense and finding the back of the net (Watch Here). Evander completed his five-goal contribution performance in the 77th minute with an intricate pass to Kévin Denkey for a 5-2 advantage (Watch Here).
This is the fifth time that Evander has been named MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob ULTRA and it is his first honor since Matchday 25 of 2025. His five Player of the Matchday honors are tied with Camilo Sanvezzo for the most by a Brazilian-born player in MLS history.
Evander and FC Cincinnati will return to action following the FIFA World Cup 2026 break on Wednesday, July 22 when they host Vancouver Whitecaps FC at TQL Stadium (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS on Apple TV).
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.
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