Thomas Müller made his presence known for Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday night, scoring a hat-trick in a seismic 7–0 win over the Supporters’ Shield-leading Philadelphia Union. 

It led to a record-breaking night in Major League Soccer, as each of the league’s 30 teams taking to the pitch within five hours, resulting in a packed 15-game matchday that no other top-flight league in the world can rival. 

For Müller, it was a special one too—his 36th birthday. And with his three-goal performance, he became the first player in league history to score a regular-season hat-trick on his birthday. 

He was far from the only one to find the back of the net, though, as LAFC’s Denis Bouanga, Columbus Crew SC’s Diego Rossi and Charlotte FC’s Idan Toklomati all scored hat-tricks, making Saturday the first quadruple hat-trick matchday in Major League Soccer’s 30-year history. 

At the same time, 57 goals were scored across the 15-match slate, tying the record for the most on a single MLS matchday, set on Aug. 6, 2022, when the league had two fewer clubs. 

Thomas Müller—Vancouver Whitecaps FC 

Muller scored two penalties and a late header in the Whitecaps’ 7–0 trouncing of the Union, bringing him to four goals and two assists in three MLS games. The win marked Vancouver’s most prominent since joining MLS in 2011, as well as the most goals Philadelphia have conceded in a single match. 

The now-36-year-old’s parents were in town for the game, and he joked that they had visited for a matchday, not his birthday, saying, “I told my parents first of all, I don’t have a birthday, I have a match day.”

“I had a lot of [birthday] messages, also from Germany all day long. I had some phone calls with some friends, and they all told me to score some goals, and that’s what we did.”

Denis Bouanga—LAFC

LAFC picked up a 4–2 win over California rivals the San Jose Earthquakes in front of over 50,000 fans at San Francisco’s Levi’s Stadium. Fresh off scoring a hat-trick for Gabon against Seychelles in African World Cup qualifying, Denis Bouanga netted three goals on the Earthquakes, bringing him level with Carlos Vela for LAFC’s all-time goalscoring lead at 93. 

He also tied Vela for the most multi-goal games for the club, with 13. 

He also brought his tally to 18 goals on the season, and will look to score at least two more in LAFC’s seven remaining matches to become the first player in MLS history to score 20 goals in three straight seasons. 

Idan Toklomati—Charlotte FC 

Idan Toklomati
Idan Toklomati helped Charlotte FC to a 3–0 win over Inter Miami on Saturday night. | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

Idan Toklomati scored a penalty and two other goals to lead Charlotte FC to a 3–0 win against Inter Miami, helping to clinch a 2025 MLS Cup Playoff berth. The result extended the club’s win streak to nine straight games, tying the 2018 Seattle Sounders FC for the longest in MLS history, outside of the shootout era. 

Diego Rossi—Columbus Crew SC

Columbus Crew SC played the wildest game of the weekend, going up 5–0 on Atlanta United before surrendering four straight goals, eventually securing all three points with a 5–4 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Rossi netted a hat-trick within the first 40 minutes, bringing him to 16 goals and four assists this season. 

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Thomas Muller’s First MLS Hat-Trick Helps Set Crazy Records.

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