Teenage forward Julian Hall etched his name into MLS history by becoming the youngest player to record a hat-trick, netting three times as Red Bull New York edged Columbus Crew 3-2 at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
At 18 years and 50 days old, Hall struck twice in the first half and completed his treble after the interval, bringing his season total to nine league goals in 13 appearances. His achievement toppled the previous mark set by Ricardo Pepi, who was 18 years and 196 days old when he scored a hat-trick for FC Dallas against LA Galaxy in 2021.
Hall, who made his MLS debut at 15 in 2023, has represented the United States at under-15 and under-17 levels and remains eligible to play for Poland. Reflecting on the milestone, he admitted he was moved by the moment: “I got kind of emotional. It just makes me think about all the times I was working so hard to make memories like this.”
Red Bull head coach Michael Bradley praised the youngster’s character and progress. “I’ve enjoyed every second of working with him,” Bradley said. “He’s a great kid. Nothing’s going in his head. He comes in every day ready to work, ready to train, ready to listen. He has great personality.”
The win lifted Red Bull to sixth in the Eastern Conference on 18 points, level with local rivals New York City ahead of their meeting on Saturday.
In other Eastern Conference action, Lionel Messi scored twice and set up another as Inter Miami beat Cincinnati 5-3 to climb to second place, two points behind leaders Nashville. The 38-year-old appeared to have completed what would have been the 61st hat-trick of his career late in the game, but MLS ruled the 89th-minute strike an own goal by Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano. MLS said the ball rebounded off the post and was not initially crossing the line until Celentano inadvertently deflected it into the net.
Messi now has 11 goals and four assists in 12 league appearances for Miami this season, and his career totals stand at 909 goals and 411 assists.
Meanwhile, 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan notched his first MLS goal despite the Philadelphia Union falling 4-3 to Orlando City. Sullivan, who became the youngest player in MLS history two years ago, came on as a first-half substitute and scored in the 75th minute. Posting on Instagram after the match, he wrote: “Despite it not being the result we wanted, I’m grateful to have scored my first MLS goal. You fans deserve more and you will get more.”
