Hany Mukhtar’s must-see hat trick powers Nashville SC | OneFootball

By Ben Wright

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A massive occasion called for a massive performance from Hany Mukhtar.

Nashville SC's superstar attacker put in one of the best showings of his storied Music City career, scoring a brilliant hat trick highlighted by two free-kick bangers in a 3-2 home win over LAFC on Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire.

"I’m really proud of him because you need your captain and your Designated Players to step up in the biggest games," head coach B.J. Callaghan told reporters post-match. 

"This is a guy who is playing almost every minute of every game, and for him to come up and put up a Man-of-the-Match performance on the field tonight was exactly what the team needed."

WATCH: Hany Mukhtar sores MUST-SEE hat trick for Nashville SC

Mukhtar became just the seventh player in MLS history to score five regular-season hat-tricks, and the first to score two direct free-kick goals in the same game since former FC Cincinnati standout Luca Orellano in August 2024.

Even more important, the goals were his 99th, 100th, and 101st in all competitions for the Coyotes, pushing him even further into club-legend status.

"It was a captain’s performance and a DP performance," said Callaghan. "I guess he didn’t want to stop at 100 because he blew right past it."

Nashville legend

Since Mukhtar arrived in MLS as Nashville's first-ever DP ahead of their 2020 expansion season, no player has scored more than his 88 regular-season goals. He recently became the third-fastest player to reach 150 goal contributions, behind only league legends Landon Donovan and Preki.

"To be honest, I hadn't really thought about having 100 goals or not. That was not in my mind," said Mukhtar. "But yeah, scoring so many goals for Nashville SC, being the first Designated Player, it is a very, very special story for me personally.

"And I don't take that for granted that they have promised me a lot and they kept all their promises."

Shield leaders

Sunday's win over LAFC pushed Nashville into the top spot in the Supporters' Shield standings (30 points, 9W-1L-3D record) ahead of the final matchday before the 2026 FIFA World Cup break.

They've done it while making a run to the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals and dealing with injuries to fellow DP Sam Surridge as well as key contributors like Patrick Yazbek, Eddi Tagseth and Andy Nájar - all of whom missed Matchday 14. 

"We never find excuses. We have injuries. The next guy steps up, and the next guy does sometimes even better than the guy before," said Mukhtar, the 2022 Landon Donovan MLS MVP who's up to 6g/5a this season.

"This is what is very special about this group."

For Mukhtar, who helped lead Nashville to the 2025 US Open Cup title, the goal is to add more silverware by the end of the season.

"There's so much to play for, and there are so many games left. We concentrate game by game," said Mukhtar.

 "We are not shying away from, you know, being on top in the league."

WATCH: Hany Mukhtar puts on goal-scoring clinic as Nashville top LAFC