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Alex Labidou

From Lionel Messi's Decision Day brilliance to Son Heung-Min putting MLS on notice - ranking the top hat-tricks of the 2025 season

There were 19 hat-tricks in MLS regular season and GOAL ranks the best, including Messi's finale dominance and Son's first in the league

Lionel Messi delivered the only hat-trick on MLS Decision Day - a moment that was both fitting and surprising. Fitting, because the league’s biggest star showed up when the spotlight was brightest. Surprising, because it was somehow his first of the season.

Overall, the 2025 MLS season featured 1,530 goals across 510 matches - the second-highest in league history, just behind 2024's total of 1,552. Of those, 57 came via 19 hat-tricks, which also ranks second all-time.

As MLS continues its rise, so too does the level of play. LAFC’s Son Heung-Min and Vancouver’s Thomas Muller were just two of the high-profile additions who made immediate impacts this season. The adjustment period that once came with big-name signings? Pretty much gone.

Now stars are showing up ready, and it’s paying off - with sharper team play, tighter chemistry and performances that keep raising the bar. And if that means more hat-tricks, no one’s complaining. GOAL ranks the top five hat-tricks from the 2025 season.

DoorDash has a special offer for MLS hat-tricks. If a player scores a hat-trick in MLS Cup, use promo code HATTRICK3 to get $10 off your $35+ DoorDash order that includes groceries, alcohol or convenience items. Every new hat-trick means another chance to save on DoorDash.
  • Philadelphia Union v FC CincinnatiGetty Images Sport

    5Tai Baribo: Philadelphia Union vs FC Cincinnati, March 1

    Not much was expected from the Union when they kicked off the season. There was more hype about a certain 15-year-old on their reserve team, Cavan Sullivan, than anyone on the first-team roster or their new coach, Bradley Carnell. The club didn't spend the cash on player signings in the offseason and dismissed long-time manager Jim Curtin. 

    Tai Baribo changed all of those perceptions almost instantly, with an exclamation mark. On March 1, he recorded a hat-trick against FC Cincinnati, a team that spent big in the offseason and would be one of the league's top contenders. It was also the first hat-trick of the season. 

    Although injuries and international call ups would ultimately slow Baribo's then-league-leading scoring pace, his message was clear: Philadelphia are contenders. The team would capitalize on a strong start to seal their Supporters' Shield two weeks before Decision Day. 

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  • 4Brian White: Vancouver Whitecaps vs Austin FC, April 12

    The parallels between Brian White's Vancouver and Philly can't be ignored. Similar to the Union, the Whitecaps were coming off a disappointing season where they parted with a popular manager, Vanni Sartini. And also similar to their Eastern counterpart, it took an unexpected campaign from a striker to catapult them into contention. 

    White scored four goals in the 2022 season for Vancouver, but at the start of the 2025 campaign, he'd put that tally up in a single game against Austin FC. The 5-1 win pointed to the Whitecaps being one of the surprises of this season. White's efforts on April 12 marked the only four-goal outing of the season.

    While injuries curtailed what was looking to be a record-breaking season for White, his breakthough at 29 years old also led to opportunities with the USMNT under Mauricio Pochettino at both the January camp and the Gold Cup. He finished his season with 16 goals in 21 games, and the Whitecaps are second in MLS's Western Conference entering the playoffs. 

  • Thomas Muller, WhitecapsImagn

    3Thomas Muller: Vancouver Whitecaps vs Philadelphia, Sept. 13

    If White signaled the start of heightened expectations for Vancouver, Muller's arrival in August punctuated that sentiment. The Bayern Munich legend is a serial winner, with 35-plus trophies to his name. And unlike some of his previous star predecessors who came into MLS in their late 30s, Muller very much cares about what transpires on the pitch.

    From barking instructions at teammates to being an all-around performer, he isn't here on name value alone. Nothing showcased that more than his role in Vancouver's 7-0 shellacking of the league-leading Union. 

    Muller got himself a hat-trick for his birthday and also added an assist for a good measure. It was the seventh time a MLS side won by seven goals, and it was the largest win in Whitecaps history.

    It is also worth noting Muller's three goals were the end to a historic 24 hours for MLS, with three other players all notching hat-tricks that weekend: Idan Toklomati, Denis Bouanga, Diego Rossi also scored triples.

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    2Son Heung-Min: LAFC vs Real Salt Lake, Sept. 17

    While there was palpable excitement over Son's arrival in MLS, LAFC fans weren't exactly sure which version of the South Korean they were getting. Was this going to be the Son who was a force in the Premier League for nearly a decade, or the winger who looked a step slow in a Tottenham side that struggled all season?

    On Sept. 17 against Real Salt Lake, Son proved to MLS that he might just be the second-best player in the league, becoming a 1B to Messi's very clear 1A. All three goals were on counterattacks, with Son blazing through RSL's defense on each play. But his second stands out as he just blasted it in from 25 yards out.

    It's also worth noting that Bouanga got the assist on Son's final goal to wrap up the 4-1 win. Son returned the favor by assisting on one of Bouanga's goals in a hat-trick just four days later, another 4-1 scoreline.

  • Nashville SC v Inter Miami CFGetty Images Sport

    1Lionel Messi, Nashville SC vs. Inter Miami, Oct. 18

    Messi clearly saved his best for last. The 38-year-old carved up Nashville SC, one of the league's best teams, in their home stadium on Decision Day to seal the 2025 Golden Boot with 29 goals overall. There had been lingering concerns over Inter Miami's 2025 season, with controversies off the pitch to inconsistent play on it. 

    Yet, the Argentine reminded fans of one fact - on any given night, he can single-handedly win his team's games. Messi's statement performance sent a reminder to the rest of MLS that the Herons are playoff contenders, and basically locked up his second straight MVP. If he is so honored, Messi will be the first player in league history to claim it in back-to-back seasons.