Evander Magic strikes again in 4-2 victory over San Jose Earthquakes
Damon Gumbert
It was nearly midnight by the time Pat Noonan took the stage for his post-match presser.
“Thank you to everybody that stuck around, and even for those that couldn’t be here. Hopefully, you were back home enjoying the guys’ play today.”
After a two-hour weather delay that featured multiple tornadoes in the greater Cincinnati area, Noonan’s side took the pitch and once again refused to be beaten, coming from behind twice before pulling away for a 4-2 win over the San Jose Earthquakes.
The Bruce Arena-led San Jose was very game early on in the match, allowing FC Cincinnati to hold possession for long runs of play but then punishing them with strong runs on the counterattack. The first goal of the night belonged to Daniel Munie. The goal came off a corner kick from Timo Werner, adding another notch in the growing tally of poor set piece defending from FC Cincinnati. Munie elevated himself over three smaller defenders in Bryan Ramirez, Samuel Gidi, and Kyle Smith, connecting his head with the ball and sending it past a diving Roman Celentano.
FC Cincinnati struck back when Ramirez received a ball from Evander inside the opposition box and sent a scorching shot past a sliding keeper and into the back of the net. It was Ramirez’s first goal since joining the Orange and Blue.
San Jose would put themselves ahead again shortly after halftime when Werner escaped on a fast counterattack, outpacing Smith and easily sneaking the ball past Celentano.
That’s where the good things ended for San Jose. In the 79’ Evander would find a streaking Tom Barlow, who was subbed on for Kenji Mboma Dem, and the St. Louis native would tie things up for Cincinnati. Three minutes later, Evander would score an absurd goal. I won’t even try to explain what happened; I’ll just leave the video here.
Ayoub Jabbari would seal the deal in the 90+5 minute off an assist from Tom Barlow and a secondary assist from Evander. Cincinnati’s number 10 ended the night contributing to all four goals with three assists and one spectacular goal.
Evander now sits atop all of MLS in goal contributions with 22, two ahead of Lionel Messi’s 20 and five ahead of a plethora of other players who are tied at 17.
Given the Brazilians slow start to the season, to say that he has found his rhythm would be a massive understatement. He has at least one goal contribution in each of the last eight regular season matches. The last time he did not contribute to a goal was on April 25 against the New York Red Bulls.
“He was spectacular tonight,” Noonan said of his team captain. “Our conversation post-Columbus when he returned from the All-Star festivities was about forcing plays and him feeling this pressure to always provide production and plays for our group, and sometimes, when you push and try to do too much, it’s counterproductive. Tonight, he just made all the right decisions, and the pass to Bryan (Ramirez) and how deceptive he was in that moment to free up Bryan and the pass to Tom (Barlow). He can still make a bunch of plays even when he doesn’t try to do the spectacular.”
“A goal and three assists, and the fashion in which he does it. I’ll continue to say it’s our job and his teammates' job to find him the right spots. It’s his job to understand our approach to the game plan and being able to be disciplined with that, and if it’s not working, we adjust to try to free him up in ways to impact the game. But it was a really good response from him. That was as strong as he’s performed off the week we had. He ended the week in a really good way.”
Evander and Noonan told reporters after the match that Evander apologized to Noonan after his goal. The coach stressed the importance of patience and decision-making, “After, he said, ‘Sorry for shooting, Coach,’ because I haven’t been pleased with certain moments where I don’t think the timing is right, and then he does that, and so it’s like, ‘OK, thanks.’”
While it was a huge night for Evander, it was also a big night for Ramirez. The wingback had seemingly lost his starting spot coming out of the World Cup break, but was forced back into the lineup due to suspensions to Dado Valenzuela and Matt Miazga. His performance in this match may give Noonan something to think about in the future.
“There’s still more, and he was strong tonight, but there’s still more,” Noonan said about Ramirez’s play. “I want to see him be even more aggressive because we got him into some really good spots.”
Despite the two goals allowed, it was also a solid night for the back line, this time consisting of Smith, Gidi, and Miles Robinson. Gidi was a key contributor in moving the ball up the pitch, dribbling and passing well beyond his area on the back line. Smith had the unenviable task of stopping Werner, which could have gone better but certainly could have gone worse as well. Robinson locked down the middle, keeping San Jose striker Preston Judd from having any real chance at goal in the entire match. Judd didn’t manage a shot on target in three attempts and also had a passing accuracy of only 55%.
Aside from the obvious problem with set piece defense, it’s hard to find a lot to take from this match that needs improvement. Arguably the hardest decision Pat Noonan faces going forward is who to start and when. The team has looked good and bad with Pavel Bucha in the midfield, but they have also looked good and bad with him at wingback. The team has performed well with Dado Valenzuela starting in the midfield, but if he starts there, that moves Bucha to the wing, which means that either Ender Echenique or Ramirez will have to take a seat on the bench.
Barlow is third on the team in goals with six, but Evander and Kevin Denkey have looked completely unlocked with Mboma Dem starting. The backline is also log-jammed, with Robinson and Miazga seemingly locked on starters. Gidi has been filling in that third spot, but there’s also Teenage Hadebe, who came in and had an assist in this match, as well as Nick Hagglund, Alvas Powell, Kyle Smith, and Andrei Chirila. Fans have been calling for Chirila to get more time, but we are in a reality where he is competing with seasoned professionals for minutes while being 17 years old. He can still get playing time with FC Cincinnati 2, while the likelihood that Hadebe, Hagglund, or Smith end up playing for the second team is unlikely.
It’s a good problem to have, to be fair. Having reserves that could be starting on different days is exactly what Chris Albright has been attempting to put together for the past three seasons. The team hasn’t lived up to their potential this season, but that’s not for a lack of talent.
Noonan preached discipline after the loss in Columbus, and seemingly kept that message throughout the week. Aside from Evander’s goal, it looks like the team responded to that criticism and took it to heart. It’s still too early to tell if that message will stick, but it was a good first step.
All photos are courtesy of FC Cincinnati
