Fire can't stop Cincinnati's dynamic duo in defeat
Evander Da Silva Ferreira — known simply as “Evander” — had a goal and an assist, Kevin Denkey also scored and host Cincinnati beat the Fire 2-1 on Saturday for its fourth consecutive win.
Cincinnati (13-5-3) has 42 points, the most in MLS, and moved ahead of Philadelphia (40) into first in the Eastern Conference.
After Denkey gave Cincinnati a 2-0 lead in the 50th minute, Philip Zinckernagel scored for the Fire (8-7-4) off a cross from Andrew Gutman in the 55th. Cincinnati held on for its second win over the Fire this season, prevailing 3-2 on April 19 at Soldier Field.
In the 19th minute, Evander took the ball near midfield, raced down the right side to the edge of the penalty area and then flicked a shot that bent inside the back post into the side-net to open the scoring.
Later, Evander raced down the right side and bent a low cross between two defenders and goalkeeper Jeffrey Gal to Denkey on the left side of the area for a first-touch finish into a wide-open net.
Denkey and Evander have 12 goals apiece this season. The duo became just the sixth pair of teammates in MLS history to record at least 12 goals each in a team’s first 21 games.
The Fire take a break from MLS action to play in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals Tuesday at Minnesota. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.