3 reasons FC Cincinnati's Evander might finally give Messi a real MLS rival | OneFootball

Evander's brace in FC Cincinnati's dominant 3-0 win over Lionel Messi and visiting Inter Miami on Wednesday night reflected a performance that was more opportunistic than dominant.

The Brazilian actually had fewer touches than his star Argentine foe. And while he deserved credit for his anticipation on his second goal, it was a pretty basic error by Miami backup goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo that set up the simple finish.

Even so, you couldn't help coming away from the match thinking that just maybe Messi had finally found a worthwhile MLS nemesis.

For all the hindsight that now calls Messi the greatest living player on Earth, what made Messi's career with FC Barcelona so captivating was his longtime rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid.

His time in MLS has missed some of that so far, making most of Messi's MLS appearances feel more like rock concerts than sporting spectacles. But maybe Evander and a very strong Cincy side could finally provide some of that missing edge.

Here are three reasons why Evander, whose 15 goals and eight assists this MLS season are nearly identical to Messi's 16 and seven line, is most likely to emerge as a credible foil.

Border feud

Evander's Brazilian nationality makes him a more obvious target than anyone else for Messi, whose arrival at Miami has resulted in a considerable Argentine contingent within the Heros ranks.

Manager Javier Mascherano was once Messi's Albiceleste teammate. Goalkeeper Oscar Ustari played with Messi at the youth international level. And 12 players on Miami's Transfermarkt squad page have Argentine among their listed nationalities, not including Benjamin Cremaschi, whose parents are from Argentina.

There is no bigger rival for Argentina in international soccer than Brazil. And perhaps no better way to get the attention of a Messi-led team than by beating it with a Brazilian star pulling the attacking strings.

No fear

Perhaps more than any other MLS organization, Cincinnati has proven itself unbending to the added pressure that comes with facing Miami since Messi's rival.

Since Messi's debut, Cincinnati has played Miami to a 2W-1D-1L record in four meetings across all competitions, and a 1W-1D-0L record in games that Messi starts/plays.

And after Wednesday's masterclass, there's no reason to believe Evander and his charges will find themselves starstruck in any future meetings. That can't be said of so many other MLS foes who, at times, have practically gift-wrapped goals and points for Messi and Miami.

Sticking around

It's still unclear how much longer Messi may remain in MLS, though he is widely expected to reach a contract extension agreement now that the club are expected to sign Rodrigo De Paul.

But it seems likely that Evander will remain in Cincinnati for a handful of seasons after the club paid a reported $12 million to the Portland Timbers in a cash trade just before the season began.

At age 27, that probably represents the high-water mark in the Brazilian's market value, making it likely he'll be in Southwest Ohio so long as he's productive and healthy. That differs with previous potential Messi rivals like former FC Cincy star Luciano Acosta, who moved on to FC Dallas last winter, or former Columbus Crew attacker Cucho Hernandez, who now plays at Real Betis.