There’s nothing like being a Brazilian number 10, Just ask FC Cincinnati’s Evander.
“When you come from Brazil, there are a lot of expectations from people when they say, ‘Oh the Jogo Bonito’ and stuff like that, but it’s true, you know. That’s what I try to bring, the different plays, the magic. So I want [the fans] to enjoy and expect that the team is always there to win the games as well. There’s nothing better than that, to enjoy beautiful play, enjoy a beautiful game, and to get the win every game.”
With 15 goals from only 5.63 expected goals, Evander is definitely doing something magical, and Cincinnati are reaping the rewards. While he may be overperforming a bit, Evander hasn’t met a shot that he doesn’t like, and he also has the talent to get them past the keeper after dribbling to get into space. And shooting isn’t all that Evander does, linking up with Kevin Denkey to create a formidable attacking duo while making things happen from set plays too.
Evander has taken that pressure to perform and entertain and channeled that into becoming the best version of himself, consistently being a difference maker. It has led Cincy to the top of the Eastern Conference while their star is locked in a battle with Lionel Messi for the league’s Most Valuable Player. He has embraced the pressure to push Cincinnati forward after joining them in the offseason from the Portland Timbers to replace a former MVP winner in Luciano Acosta. It didn’t take much time for him to fit into a new environment as head coach Pat Noonan ensured that the system worked for his new star, while their recruitment strategy also aligned, with him being a natural fit for the departing Acosta.
He has become one of the best players in MLS, and despite the idea of a most valuable player being an American centric award, it’s something that Evander knows that he wants after competing head to head with Messi for the award last season when he finished as a finalist.
“Having a great season last season, and competing against one of the best players in the world which is Messi. So being there, going to the final MVP top three and being there with Messi and Cucho, two amazing players, I realized that I’m on a high level competing against two really good guys,” Evander said. “It’s a thing that I’m going for again this year and not just this year but for the rest of my career.”
That drive is something that Evander has always had since coming through the ranks at Vasco da Gama in Brazil, but this is another look at what the Messi effect can bring to the league. With the Argentine setting a new bar for what can be accomplished in MLS, top players around the league are raising their own performances to match him.
Only 27, Evander is entering the prime of his career and now has 39 MLS goals since joining the league in 2023 from Midtjylland in Denmark. He’s become one of the premier players in MLS, and has even showed it going head-to-head with Messi. When the two met on July 16, Evander scored a brace to help Cincy to a 3-0 win.
Thanks to MLS scheduling quirks, they’ll face each other again in Miami on Saturday in another clash that could be a defining one in the MVP race. While there’s a chance that Messi won’t play in that match due to not participating in the All-Star game, Evander pushing Cincinnati further clear atop the league will only grow his impressive case for league MVP. With the goal being to secure the award and also win the Supporters’ Shield for the best record in MLS, let’s take a look at how Evander stacks up with Messi.
Evander vs. Messi by the numbers
Games Played |
22 |
18 |
Goals |
15 |
18 |
Expected goals |
5.63 |
12.38 |
Assists* |
8 |
10 |
*Includes secondary assists
What makes an MVP?
The vote for MVP can be something that’s narrative-driven in some cases, but having a vote myself, this is a good time to lay out what I look for. Since MLS doesn’t have promotion and relegation, a team has to be at least in a playoff position unless someone’s performance is too strong to ignore, like Christian Benteke winning the golden boot while D.C. United missed the playoffs. Goals and assists are also important, but that doesn’t mean that things such as goals prevented and defensive contributions aren’t taken into account to give keepers and defenders a shot at the award, though the reality is that the award is dominated by attacking players.
From there, it’s important to look at if a player’s goals are changing the state of the match or just when a team is already ahead or losing. Team value is also a minor factor, since it’s critical for players to be recognized for doing more with less talent around them. By all of those metrics, Messi and Evander are the clear frontrunners for the award as the MLS regular season enters the stretch run, but players like Sam Surridge, Tai Baribo, Anders Dreyer, and Pep Biel also enter the fray in a tier behind the frontrunners.
Who is the front-runner?
Entering the stretch run of the season, it feels like the MVP race is taking part between four players, mainly. Evander, Messi, Dreyer, and Pep Biel. All four have had immense roles in providing both goals and assists to their teams while pushing into playoff places. Messi is surrounded by the most talent, but scoring eight goals in his last five MLS matches is unreal production, with four braces during that stretch after Miami’s elimination from the Club World Cup. Evander has had impressive consistency as well, but at the moment, Dreyer can’t be ignored either. San Diego FC are in their first season in the league and atop the Western Conference via his 11 goals and 14 assists. Even when their expected star Hirving Lozano missed time, it has been Dreyer who has consistently stepped up to push them forward. Pep Biel falls into a tier behind them but if he can push forward without Patrick Agyemang in Charlotte, who recently headed to England to join Derby, that’s when the doing more with less factor begins to swing in his favor.
Messi has played in the fewest matches of the quartet with only 18 appearances, but it’s not such a low number that it would disqualify him from the running. If anything, it makes his output more impressive because everyone around him has played in three to four more matches but he still has the best numbers of them all. This award is Messi’s to lose but with the Argentine raising the performances of those around him, even in the league, there’s time for things to shift over the final 10 matchday of the season and Evander can’t be counted out.