In a showdown of Cincinnati sports stars, FC Cincinnati captain and midfielder Evander defeated Bengals legend wide receiver Chad Johnson in the MLS All-Star Crossbar Challenge on Tuesday, July 28.
The two Cincinnati athletes faced off in the first round of the challenge, where they shot soccer balls from 18 yards out and raced to become the first to hit the crossbar three times. Evander got the job done in 37 seconds to advance to the semifinal, but Johnson got one ball on the crossbar in that frame as well.
Good effort, Ochocinco. 🤝
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 29, 2026
Evander comes out on top in the MLS All-Star Crossbar Challenge pres. by @Gillette. pic.twitter.com/KRN8QkpZbr
In the semifinals, Evander was defeated by Javier Ruiz, who competes for Liga MX club Nexaca. Ruiz ended
up winning the overall challenge.
Johnson is amongst the celebrity guests competing in contests at the MLS All-Star skills challenge in Charlotte. He has several ties to soccer: he tried out for Sporting KC in 2011 and played for the National Premier Soccer League's Boca Raton FC in 2018 and 2019. In 2022, he was an analyst for FOX Sports at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Evander previously beat out his own record score in the Shooting Challenge on Wednesday, tying competition winner Thomas Müller with a score of 79 points. The Cincinnati midfielder is amongst the MLS All-Stars who will compete against the Liga MX All-Stars on Wednesday, July 29 in the MLS All-Star game.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Chad Johnson loses to Evander in MLS All-Star Crossbar Challenge
