Evander's MVP moment has FC Cincinnati in Supporters' Shield mix | OneFootball

By José Nuñez

Are FC Cincinnati on their way to claiming another Supporters' Shield behind a Landon Donovan MLS MVP winner?

Two years after Luciano Acosta won top MLS individual honors while leading Cincy to the 2023 Shield, the Orange & Blue are again looking like contenders to be the top regular-season club of 2025.

This time, they'd have Evander to thank.

The Brazilian was the difference-maker Saturday night at Inter&Co Stadium, scoring his second brace in as many games as Cincy beat Orlando City SC, 2-1, on the road to move within one point of the first-place Philadelphia Union.

MVP caliber

Evander, the former Portland Timbers star who moved to Cincinnati over the winter in an MLS-record trade, has been nothing short of sensational for his new club.

With 11g/7a this season —including four goals in his last two matches — the midfielder continues to deliver. Against Orlando, he struck twice, including a sublime free kick that left goalkeeper Pedro Gallese scrambling to open the score in first-half stoppage time.

“He is a special player. You saw it on the free kick. He’s just doing things that others can’t do,” head coach Pat Noonan said of the 27-year-old, recently bolstered by his second straight MLS All-Star selection.

The strike put Evander in a class of his own, becoming the first player in MLS to register both 25 goals and 25 assists since the start of the 2024 season.

WATCH: Evander is a free-kick menace for FC Cincinnati

Evander

Midfielder · FC Cincinnati

Familiar formula

Noonan is no stranger to working with MVP-caliber talent. After watching Acosta, now with FC Dallas, produce 17g/14a during a remarkable 2023 campaign, he's witnessing more greatness from Evander.

However, the veteran manager refuses to take credit for the success both players have attained with the Orange & Blue.

“Lucho [Acosta] played himself into an MVP season, and that’s what you’re seeing from Evander," Noonan said. "It’s our job to help guide them the right way, to help them understand their teammates and how they fit into all of this.

"But I have nothing to do with the level of quality and talent that Evander has."

Chasing Philly

The pace in the East isn’t slowing — especially after a midweek match following a short Concacaf Gold Cup and FIFA Club World Cup pause — and Cincinnati aren't letting up either. They're on three straight wins, earning another hard-fought three points against an Orlando side that, despite the result, remain in a top-five spot in the conference.

“Credit to Orlando, they pushed. They pushed and threw everything at us, and we were fortunate there at the end,” said Noonan. “I’m happy that [we] get to walk off the field with three points against a very good team on the road.”

Noonan and his squad continue to apply pressure to a familiar foe in Philadelphia, who remain atop the league with a club-record 11-match unbeaten streak ahead of their Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire visit to the Columbus Crew (6 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, AppleTV+).

Things won’t get any easier for Cincinnati, even with their next three matches at home at TQL Stadium. Gregg Berhalter's Chicago Fire FC visit Saturday (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass) before Hell is Real rivals Columbus and last year's Shield winners, Inter Miami CF, come to town.

WATCH: Shield contenders! Evander leads Cincy over Orlando