FC Cincinnati Midfielder Evander Voted MLS Player of the Matchday Presented by Michelob ULTRA for Matchday 15
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FC Cincinnati Midfielder Evander Voted MLS Player of the Matchday Presented by Michelob ULTRA for Matchday 15

Published on May 25, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


NEW YORK - 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. 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. Orlando City equalized shortly after halftime, but Evander found Mboma Dem again in the 52nd minute to retake the lead. He then extended Cincinnati's advantage in the 58th minute after darting through the Orlando defense and finding the back of the net. Evander completed his five-goal contribution performance in the 77th minute with an intricate pass to Kévin Denkey for a 5-2 advantage.

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

2026 MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob ULTRA Winners

Matchday Player Club

Matchday 1 Julian Hall Red Bull New York

Matchday 2 Lionel Messi Inter Miami CF

Matchday 3 Wiki Carmona CF Montréal

Matchday 4 Petar Musa FC Dallas

Matchday 5 Sam Surridge Nashville SC

Matchday 6 Denis Bouanga LAFC

Matchday 7 Rafael Navarro Colorado Rapids

Matchday 8 Lionel Messi Inter Miami CF

Matchday 9 Tai Baribo D.C. United

Matchday 10 Timo Werner San Jose Earthquakes

Matchday 11 Martín Ojeda Orlando City SC

Matchday 12 Hannes Wolf New York City FC

Matchday 13 Julian Hall Red Bull New York

Matchday 14 Hany Mukhtar Nashville SC

Matchday 15 Evander FC Cincinnati

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Major League Soccer Stories from May 25, 2026


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