MLS: Abada's 15-Minute Hat-Trick Off the Bench Leads Charlotte FC Past Montreal 4-0 Into Playoffs
In a Major League Soccer game on the night of October 28 in Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Charlotte FC beat CF Montreal 4-0 to clinch a berth in the 2026 MLS Cup playoffs, as substitute Liel Abada scored a hat-trick in a 15-minute span.
Idan Toklomati opened the scoring with a seventh-minute header from an Allan Saint-Maximin cross and added an assist, while Pep Biel recorded three assists. Abada came on in the 65th minute and scored in the 67th, 79th and 83rd minutes for the first hat-trick of his career and the third in club history; all eight of his goals this season have come since the All-Star break. Goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina made one save for the shutout.
Charlotte improved to 14-10-8 and snapped a three-game winless streak. Montreal fell to 6-19-7, winless in five, with the Eastern Conference's fewest points (25) and worst goal differential (minus-30); 17-year-old goalkeeper Samsy Keita made his second straight start and recorded three saves.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 夏洛特 FC 主场足球比赛（资料图）。Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA 摄，CC BY-SA 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / A soccer match at Charlotte FC's home stadium (file photo). Photo by Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
