Best striker in MLS? Petar Musa extends Golden Boot lead in THRILLING Dallas goalfest | OneFootball

By Justin Ruderman

Petar Musa is loving life in Dallas.

It's hard to argue that the Croatian international striker hasn't been the league's best No. 9 this season, and he made his latest case during FC Dallas' wild 4-3 victory over Real Salt Lake at America First Field on Wednesday night, netting his 15th and 16th goals of the season to build a gap atop the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi race.

Musa is now three goals ahead of back-to-back Landon Donovan MLS MVP Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF) and Niicolás Fernández Mercau (New York City FC), who each sit on 13 goals.

Magical Musa

Musa entered rarefied air in the 20th minute, when he climbed high to head home a Joaquín Valiente cross from the edge of the six-yard box. By doing so, he became the fifth player in league history to score at least 15 goals in each of his first three MLS seasons, joining legendary forwards Josef Martínez and David Villa on that prestigious list. 

Just before halftime, Musa completed his brace with a calm finish into the bottom corner, set up by Valiente again. It was Musa's 50th career goal in 78 matches. 

The brilliant performance continues a special summer for the Croatian, who scored a memorable goal against England during the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Big-time Binyamin

With the match level at 3-3 heading into second-half stoppage time, Israeli youth international Ran Binyamin stepped up to play the hero with a long-range laser to secure a dramatic Dallas win.

Binyamin's first career MLS goal secured a fourth win in five matches across all competitions and FC Dallas' joint-Western Conference best sixth road victory of the season in league play.

FC Dallas are fifth in the Western Conference with 33 points (9W-5L-6D), and they'll look to continue their quest for a home-field position in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs with a trip to BC Place to take on Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday (9:30 pm ET | Apple TV).

WATCH: Petar Musa brace leads FC Dallas past Real Salt Lake