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Atlanta United striker Josef Martinez now has more hat tricks than any player in MLS history. In the 73rd minute of Atlanta’s contest against DC United on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Martinez scored his third goal of the match to give him his sixth hat trick of his short MLS career.
History.@JosefMartinez17 finishes his sixth career hat trick https://t.co/ChRVSRTF03
— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) July 21, 2018
Josef Martinez of @ATLUTD has scored the sixth hat trick of his #MLS career, the most in league history. It's his third hat trick of the season, tying the league's single-season record, set five times previously (including by Martinez last year)
— MLS Communications (@MLS_PR) July 21, 2018
What’s more impressive than that is how many matches it has taken Martinez to set the record. He was able to do so in just 42 appearances; Stern John, one of four players to retire with five hat tricks, needed 55 matches to do it. Diego Serna needed 124. For the season, Martinez has an incredible 22 goals in 22 matches and is well on his way to shattering the single-season mark held by Roy Lassiter, Chris Wondolowski and Bradley Wright-Phillips.
We’re witnessing something truly phenomenal in Martinez. However much longer he is here in MLS, what he has been able to do in such a short time is simply incredible.
Congratulations, Josef!