The first

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

, a player scoring three goals in a game, in

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

, was scored by

Steve Rammel Steve Rammel (born April 20, 1968) is a retired American soccer player who played as a forward. Rammel spent five seasons in the U.S. and German lower divisions before playing two seasons in Major League Soccer. After retiring from playing in ...

D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Suppo ...

in their 5–2 win at the Columbus Crew on May 15, 1996. The league's fastest hat-trick was scored in under five minutes by

Harut Karapetyan Harutyun Karapetyan (born 7 April 1972) is an Armenian former professional footballer who played as a forward in Major League Soccer (MLS) for the Los Angeles Galaxy, the San Jose Clash, and the Tampa Bay Mutiny. Karapetyan holds the record fo ...

of the

LA Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began pl ...

on June 4, 1998, in an 8–1 win at the Dallas Burn. The fastest hat-trick from the start of a game was scored by

Hany Mukhtar Hany Abubakr Mukhtar (born 21 March 1995) is a German professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Nashville SC in Major League Soccer. Club career Hertha BSC Mukhtar began playing football at a very early age, initially f ...

Nashville SC Nashville Soccer Club is a Major League Soccer team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The team began play in the league in 2020 as a continuation of the USL club of the same name and plays its home matches at Geodis Park. It is principally owned ...

, who recorded three goals in the opening 16 minutes of a 5–1 victory against

Chicago Fire FC (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

on July 18, 2021 (the goals all came in a six-minute window). Clint Mathis scored the most goals in a game, when he scored five, on August 26, 2000 in a 6–4 MetroStars win over the Burn. Roy Lassiter scored hat-tricks for the

Tampa Bay Mutiny Tampa Bay Mutiny was a professional soccer team based in Tampa, Florida. They were a charter member of Major League Soccer (MLS) and played from 1996 to 2001. They played their home games at Tampa Stadium and then at Raymond James Stadium. The ...

and

Dante Washington Dante Deneen Washington (born November 21, 1970, in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American former soccer player who played as a striker. Washington played college soccer at Radford University, and was named a first team All-American in 1991. He ...

scored hat-tricks for the Burn and the Crew. Mamadou Diallo scored three hat-tricks for the Mutiny and another for the MetroStars, twice scoring four goals in a game. Eight rookie players have scored hat-tricks, the first being

Brian Maisonneuve Brian Maisonneuve (born June 28, 1973 in Warren, Michigan) is an American retired soccer player and current coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes. He spent his entire professional career as a defensive midfielder with the Columbus Crew of Major L ...

on September 7, 1996 for the Crew in a 5–1 home win over the

Kansas City Wiz Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the we ...

, and the most recent being Cyle Larin for

Orlando City SC Orlando City SC is an American professional soccer club in Orlando, Florida, that competes as a member of the Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). Orlando City SC began play in 2015 as the 21st franchise in MLS, succeeding the USL ...

against New York City FC in 2015.

Hat-tricks

1990s

:''Note: The results column shows the scorer's team score first''

2000s

2010s

2020s

Multiple hat-tricks

The following table lists the number of hat-tricks scored by players who have scored two or more hat-tricks. This list does not include playoff hat-tricks. Players whose names are in bold are still currently active in Major League Soccer. As of October 9, 2022.

Hat-tricks by nationality

The following table lists the number of hat-tricks scored by players from a single nation. This list does not include playoff hat-tricks. As of March 25, 2023.

Hat-tricks in MLS Cup Playoffs

References

{{Major League Soccer Hat-tricks