The selection call takes place this Friday and Flamengo could be missing

Major League Soccer (MLS) has invested heavily in signing major international stars, such as Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Olivier Giroud, to increase the league's visibility. However, the name that has stood out the most this season is that of Brazilian Evander, 26 years old, revealed by Vasco and currently playing for Portland Timbers.

Evander occupies the top of the list of goal participations in the MLS, with 33 in 25 matches. The midfielder has already scored 15 goals, being the sixth highest scorer in the championship, and leads the assists, with 18 passes to goal. He surpasses names like Luciano Acosta, from Cincinnati, and even Messi, from Inter Miami, who only played 15 times this season.

Recently, Mais Querido showed interest in counting on Evander's talent. Marcos Braz, vice-president of football at the Rio club, publicly defended the signing of the athlete. However, Portland Timbers turned down the proposal, after having spent 10 million euros to sign him from Midtjylland, in Denmark.

Evander, who recognizes Mengão's greatness, commented on the interest: “I was very happy to be remembered, especially by a club like Flamengo, one of the biggest in Brazil and America. Even though I have a history at Vasco, I wouldn’t be the first or the last to change rivals”, said the player. He also highlighted his desire to play for major European clubs and the Brazilian national team, although he recognizes the difficulties of making this transition directly from MLS.

Evander's good performance in the MLS earned him the opportunity to play in the North American league's All-Star Game, where he was a starter. Despite the 4-1 defeat to the stars of the Mexican League, the feat is further proof of the player's relevance in the competition. He was accompanied by Gabriel Pec, from LA Galaxy, another Brazilian who also participated in the event.

Flamengo faces a major challenge in the offensive sector after the serious injury of top scorer Pedro, which will miss the team for the remainder of the season. Tite, responsible for assembling the squad, has been struggling to find an efficient solution that fills the gap left by the attacker. The coach has chosen to use Bruno Henrique as a center forward, but the strategy has not yet brought the expected results.

Gabigol and Carlinhos, other options available in the squad, have been used less, with both spending more time on the bench of reserves than on the field. This situation is directly reflected in the team's offensive performance, which has not been able to maintain the same efficiency it had with Pedro on the field.

Pedro's absence has been a big blow for Mais Querido, who depended on the striker to lead the offensive sector. In the 2024 season, number nine had already scored 30 goals, while the other three players in the position only scored 14 goals throughout the year. The situation is worsened by other absences, such as Cebolinha, out of action for the remainder of the year, and Luiz Araújo, who is recovering from arthroscopy.

Tite recognizes that the team was assembled around the Pedro's style of play, which makes adapting to a new formation even more complicated. "There was a lack of precision in the final moments, in the moments of definition to transform the volume of play into goals. The team was structured to play around Pedro, a player in the area, with presence and ability to retain the ball and use the aerial game" , said the coach.

Without Pedro, the coach of Flamengohas been testing different alternatives, but so far without success. Bruno Henrique was placed in the center forward role, while Gabigol and Carlinhos failed to convince in the opportunities they had. "We tried with Bruno Henrique, Gabi, Carlinhos, but we didn't get the expected final result. This offensive structure was lost a little", concluded Tite.

Flamengo officially presented Gonzalo Plata this Monday (9). Asked about his desire to return to the Ecuador national team, the striker replied that Rubro-Negro is a good showcase to be part of Sebastián Beccacece's list again.

"I never spoke to him (Sebastián Beccacece) , nor with the current Ecuador coaching staff. I know that this will be a very important showcase for returning to the team. , this Monday (09).

Gonzalo Plata has been away from the Ecuador national team for six months. This is because, in March, alongside Arboleda, from São Paulo and Kendry Páez, the attacker was spotted in a nightclub in New York, in the United States. Even though the trio argued that they were on a break, the party drew criticism from the Ecuadorian Federation. In the images released, the players appear dancing alongside women and showing off money.

Before being removed, the Mais Querido striker was an absolute starter for the Ecuadorian national team. In the 2022 World Cup, he played the full 90 minutes in the three games of the competition.

For arriving in Brazil on the last day of the transfer window, Flamengo was unable to register Gonzalo Plata in time to compete in the Copa do Brasil. Therefore, the striker should debut in the match against Vasco, in the Brasileirão, on September 15th.