Is Evander starting to find his form with the Portland Timbers? The Rose City faithful will hope so after his Matchday 10 performance at St. Louis CITY SC.
The Timbers' club-record signing, who arrived in December from Danish top-flight side FC Midtjylland on a reported $10 million transfer, was active throughout Saturday night's contest at CITYPARK, converting a penalty to open the scoring just past the hour mark and finishing with seven shots during their 2-1 win.
The 24-year-old Brazilian midfielder has gotten off to a bit of a slow start in MLS, including battling an early-season injury that saw him sidelined for several matches. But he may be turning a corner, and that adjustment period hasn't been lost on Gio Savarese, who raised a comparison to a player that eventually blossomed to become one the faces of the league.
"It's not easy to come in and adapt right away to the league. You have to understand it, you have to build chemistry with the team," Portland's head coach said after the club's first road win of 2023.
"We remember many players that have come in and then end up doing very, very well. ... \[Hany\] Mukhtar when he arrived, he was trying to figure things out, and then look, he became the MVP last year."
Evander, who's played a variety of positions in the Timbers' attack, could still become the No. 10 Portland envisioned when they sought a solution for life after retired legend Diego Valeri and Argentine playmaker SebastiĂ¡n Blanco, who's in his career's latter stages.
Before reaching those lofty comparisons, it's all about Evander stacking together strong performances.
"The last two performances of Evander has been very good, also\] in [Cincinnati," Savarese said in an MLS 360 interview. "Especially today, he found the ball, good moments. He allows us to be able to have more possession, he was a threat going forward and he helped through the [match] to defend. I still think he’s finding his way, he’s getting to know the players and the league. I’m sure he’s going to continue to improve."
Evander's continued growth – along with his budding chemistry within a squad that saw fellow DP attacker Yimmi Chara provide an 82nd-minute winner upon his own injury return – equals a rising-tide situation for Portland, noted Savarese.
"I think Evander is a hard-working player that has quality," said the Venezuelan manager. "These past two games, he has shown a lot of improvement, not only improvement in his individuality in what he can provide to the team, but also the effort that he puts to work for the team.
"I think that he's building that chemistry with the players, and we're starting to look much better as a team, and a team that can be more competitive."
