NEW YORK – Portland Timbers midfielder Evander was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra for Matchday 33 of the 2024 MLS season.
In a crucial match against Western Conference leaders LA Galaxy, Evander scored twice and added an assist in the Timbers’ 4-2 victory at Providence Park. With his performance, Evander extended his current streak of games with a goal contribution to 10, surpassing the previous Timbers record of nine held by club legend Diego Valeri. Following Matchday 33, Evander currently leads the league in goal contributions (32) and assists (18), while ranking in the top 10 in goals (14) and key passes (74). With Evander’s brace and both Jonathan RodrÃguez and Felipe Mora getting on the scoresheet, the Timbers became the first club in league history to have three different players score at least 14 goals each during a single regular season. Only Inter Miami CF (67 goals, 81 assists) have scored more goals and created more assists than the Timbers (60 goals, 72 assists) ahead of Matchday 34.
The Brazilian playmaker helped opened the scoring when he hit a pinpoint cross for Jonathan RodrÃguez who got on the end of it with a diving header in the 18th minute. Evander then got on the scoresheet in the 39th minute as he calmly collected the ball in the 18-yard box and volleyed home his finish for a 2-0 lead. After the Galaxy halved the deficit, the Landon Donovan MLS MVP candidate pounced on a loose ball and struck his effort into the side netting for his second goal of the night and a 3-1 lead.
This is the second time Evander has been named MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra in his career after previously doing so on Matchday 12 of 2023. The 2024 MLS All-Star joins Diego Valeri (2019-20) and Fanendo Adi (2014-15) as the only players in club history to win MLS Player of the Matchday in consecutive seasons.
The Timbers travel to Real Salt Lake on Saturday, September 21 (6:30pm PT, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV) looking to climb up the Western Conference table and secure direct qualification to the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs Round One Best-of-3 Series.
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 X (formerly known as Twitter) fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio, and online media.
