Portland Timbers striker Vincent Janssen named Player of the Matchday | OneFootball

By MLSsoccer staff

Player of the Matchday 24: Vincent Janssen

Courtesy of a historic hat trick, Portland Timbers striker Vincent Janssen has earned MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob ULTRA honors for Matchday 24.

The Dutch international scored three goals in Portland's thrilling 5-4 home win over Minnesota United FC on Saturday evening, making him the first Timbers player to record a hat trick in an MLS match.

Janssen's effort snapped Portland’s streak of 522 regular-season matches and 29 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs matches without a hat trick – dating back to their 2011 expansion season.

The summer signing is now the third player in MLS history to score three or more goals in his first start, joining Didier Drogba (CF Montréal, 2015) and Milan Iloski (San Diego FC, 2025).

Additionally, Janssen is the second Dutch-born player to score a hat trick in MLS, joining Roland Alberg (Philadelphia Union, 2016). He is also Portland's first MLS Player of the Matchday since Evander took home Matchday 33 honors in 2024. 

The Timbers return to action on Wednesday when they host St. Louis CITY SC (10:30 pm ET | Apple TV). They are eighth in the Western Conference, two points above the playoff line.

The MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob ULTRA is selected each matchday of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while an Instagram fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio and online media.

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