Super Eagles star Alhassan Yusuf has taken his place among the standout players in Major League Soccer after his hat-trick against D.C. United earned him a spot in the MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 21.
The New England Revolution midfielder scored three times in a 3-0 away win at Audi Field on Wednesday, helping his side end a three-game winless run. His display also earned him the MLS Player of the Matchday award, with the honour announced on Thursday.
Yusuf was selected in the starting midfield alongside FC Cincinnati’s Evander, Atlanta United’s Tristan Muyumba and FC Dallas’ Joaquín Valiente. Former Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski, who scored the winning penalty in Chicago Fire’s 2-1 victory over Orlando City, was named among the substitutes.
That means Yusuf did more than simply make the same Matchday squad as the Poland international. The Nigerian was selected in the first XI after producing the most decisive individual performance of New England’s victory.
MLS award reward for Yusuf’s three-goal night
The 26-year-old opened the scoring in the 23rd minute. New England’s new signing Jack Harrison delivered a cross towards the far post, where Peyton Miller headed the ball across goal. Yusuf arrived at the right time and nodded it into the net from close range.
Yusuf struck again just before half-time. Harrison supplied another dangerous ball and the midfielder finished with a simple one-touch effort to give New England a 2-0 lead.
His third goal arrived in the 66th minute. Harrison again provided the assist, lifting the ball over the D.C. United defence for Yusuf to head home and complete the first MLS hat-trick of his career.
The performance was historic for the Revolution. Yusuf became only the eighth player in club history to score three goals in a regular-season MLS match. He was also the first New England player to achieve the feat since Kei Kamara on September 2, 2017.
The win also had an important effect on the Eastern Conference table. New England moved to 33 points from 20 matches, with a record of 10 wins, seven defeats and three draws, keeping fourth place in the conference.
Yusuf has now scored five goals in the 2026 MLS season. That is already his best single-season total and puts him second among New England’s players this campaign.
His performance was supported by Harrison, who supplied all three assists. The English winger has now recorded four assists in his first three appearances for the Revolution and has been involved in every goal New England have scored since his arrival.
The Matchday 21 selection also places Yusuf alongside some of MLS’s leading performers. Petar Musa scored twice for FC Dallas and has moved to 16 league goals, while Evander reached 23 goal contributions after scoring a late winner for Cincinnati.
Lewandowski’s inclusion came after another important performance for Chicago Fire. The former Barcelona forward converted a second-half penalty to give his team a 2-1 win over Orlando City. It was his second game-winning goal for Chicago and helped the Fire win six matches in a row.
Yusuf’s latest award is another notable moment in his MLS career. He is the first New England player to win Player of the Matchday since goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic in 2024 and the first Nigerian-born player to receive the award since Tani Oluwaseyi in 2025.
The Nigerian will now try to carry that form into New England’s next match against New York City FC at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, August 23. Kick-off is scheduled for 4:30pm ET.
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