Cincinnati defeated Miami 3-0 and pulled all of the chatter, all of the narrative and all of the headlines back from Messi's Miami in 90 tidy minutes of play. The win was orchestrated by Evander, Cincinnati's criminally underrated Brazilian playmaker; he scored twice while running rampant throughout Miami's bewildered defense. It was a star-making performance from a man who really should be known as a star already. Much of Evander's MLS journey, from his arrival to his big-money Cincinnati transfer to his very real league-leading stats this season, has been overshadowed by Messi mania, and that's a real shame. He's pushing MLS forward with just as much vigor as Messi is. The Argentinian entered this Cincinnati-Miami clash having scored in five straight games, but Evander finished it having pulled off exactly the same feat. He's been scoring everything from free kicks to headers to poached striker's goals this season and has fundamentally changed Cincinnati's fortunes while doing so. Cincinnati has long been a team that is structurally organized but lacking an explosive playmaker; Evander has flipped the script on that and lifted the whole squad in the process. They all look better when he's on hand to elevate their plays. "He's just, like, so effortless with everything he's doing,” laughed Evander's Cincinnati teammate Lukas Engel. “Sometimes it's a little bit annoying for everyone else, because we're trying so hard just to get the small things right, and for him, it's just natural.” “He has a really high soccer IQ," said Evander's Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan. "He's a pleasure to work with, and he's also somebody you can challenge: ‘Hey, this isn't good enough.’ And he's going to think about it, and he's going to take that information and try to get better."