The young Americans in Major League Soccer continued to impress on a night when several records and notable performances headlined midweek matchups.
For fans keeping an eye on the next generation of U.S. men’s national team players, Philadelphia Union rising talent Cavan Sullivan scored his first MLS goal, while Red Bull New York striker Julian Hall registered the youngest hat trick in MLS history within minutes of each other on Wednesday night.
Hall, who remains eligible to represent the U.S. or Poland, continued to make an argument for late inclusion in Mauricio Pochettino’s World Cup squad by scoring three times in New York’s 3-2 win over the Columbus Crew. The 18-year-old striker has nine goals in 13 MLS games this season, and his knack for getting in the right spots has been evident in every appearance. Hall also has three goals in U.S. Open Cup play.
Against the Crew, Hall dragged his back leg to get on to a pass that was slightly behind him on top of the six yard box to open the scoring for the Red Bulls. Hall was there again in the 40th minute to get on the end of a Cade Cowell cross inside the six for his second goal of the game.
Hall finished off the hat trick in the 79th minute, cleaning up a rebound inside the six after a corner kick was headed back into a mix of bodies in front of goal. With that goal, Hall passed USMNT striker Ricardo Pepi as the youngest player in MLS history to record a hat trick, doing so at 18 years and 50 days. Pepi set the previous mark in 2021 at 18 years and 195 days.
Julian Hall is at it again 😤
That’s his 7th goal of the year to get @NewYorkRedBulls on the board first. pic.twitter.com/A5gtITH0Pv
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 13, 2026
JULIAN HALL BRACE!
The 18-year-old score his eighth goal of the season. 👀 pic.twitter.com/N8PTwGFD4W
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 14, 2026
🚨 JULIAN HALL HAT-TRICK 🚨
He’s now the youngest player in MLS history to score a hat-trick!
History for the 18-year-old!! pic.twitter.com/GULV66EGrh
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 14, 2026
After Patrick Agyemang’s season-ending Achilles injury, Pochettino might look to add another striker on the depth chart. If Hall continues to find the mark, he may just push himself into the conversation in the final two weeks before the final World Cup squad is selected.
Hall looked as if he joined Miami’s Lionel Messi as MLS players with hat tricks on Wednesday night, with the Argentine great appearing to score three times in a 5-3 victory over FC Cincinnati. However, MLS changed how it scored one goal, eventually ruling it an own goal from Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano. Messi drops into a tie for second in the league with 11 goals on the season, one behind the Chicago Fire’s Hugo Cuypers, who set a mark himself on the night.
With a game-winning goal against D.C. United, Cuypers became the fourth player in MLS history to score in at least nine straight games. (Josef Martínez had two such streaks.) He is the first since Carlos Vela (2019-20) to do so. If he scores on the weekend, Cuypers will join Martínez and Vela as the only players to hit double figures; Vela scored in 11 straight, while Martínez holds the league record at 15.
Back on the rising-star front, Sullivan, the 16-year-old who is set to join Manchester City when he turns 18, found the back of the net for the first time in his MLS career.
Cavan Sullivan scores his first MLS goal! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/ldrM5SILKy
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 14, 2026
With the rain falling in Orlando and his Union trailing 3-1, Sullivan played a ball across the box and then made a darting run into the box. His movement was rewarded when his pass was hit one-time back into the box by Ben Bender, and Sullivan finished it near post to open his MLS account (he previously became the youngest American to score in Concacaf Champions Cup play). Sullivan, who passed Freddy Adu as the youngest player to debut in MLS history at 14 years old, is the eighth-youngest goalscorer in MLS history at 16 years, 227 days. Adu remains the youngest goalscorer in MLS history at 14 years, 320 days.
At 16 years and 227 days old tonight, the @PhilaUnion‘s Cavan Sullivan became the second youngest player in @MLS history to record at least one goal and one assist in a match (Freddy Adu, 15 years and 339 days). pic.twitter.com/dkIzQqhn2p
— MLS Communications (@MLS_PR) May 14, 2026
U.S. World Cup hopefuls Max Arfsten and Sebastian Berhalter also scored on the night. Berhalter, the son of former U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter, netted twice for the Vancouver Whitecaps at FC Dallas. The midfielder became the first player in Whitecaps history to produce a goal or assist in nine of the opening 12 games of a season, according to MLS.
