Portland Timbers midfielder Evander showed exactly why a club-record fee of $10 million was paid for him by netting twice in a 3-1 win against the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Both the Timbers and Evander had slow starts to the 2023 MLS season, but Giovanni Savarese's side has won three of their last five games with three goals from Evander and two assists in his last three games.
This is exactly what the Western Conference team were hoping to get when they signed Evander from Danish side FC Midtjylland. Given the stats, the midfielder is now starting to feel much more confident with alongside his teammates:
"Every game I'm feeling much more comfortable with the team. The team understands the way I play as well, so we're getting this connection and hopefully I can give much more goals and assists for the team, and of course going for the victory, which is most important.
"I think it just shows us how good we are, how good we are when we play together, when we play as a team. When we play soccer and enjoy the game, things become much easier. The win today gives us more confidence," he added.
Timbers head coach Gio Savarese praised the Brazil international in a post-game interview:
"I think while they're building chemistry, you can see the things that we saw today. They can create great moments," Savarese stated. "I thought it was the best performance of some of these players, especially Evander. Evander looked today what we know that he's capable of, and I still think there's more there for him to continue to grow. Game by game he's feeling better."
"All around, we always thought we had this game in hand."
The Timbers, now up to sixth place in the Western Conference table with 15 points, will look to build o their recent form when they hit the road to take on Real Salt Lake on Wednesday.
This article was originally published on 90min as Portland Timbers' Evander picking up steam after brace vs Whitecaps.
