Patrick Mullins’ four second-half goals encapsulated the technical ability of the 25-year-old forward as he utilized his right and left foot as well as his head for three of the goals. Mullins then added to his perfect hat trick by curling the ball around wall off a free kick for his capstone fourth goal.
After a turbulent season for Mullins where he found himself battling injuries for the first time in his career, the four-goal performance at RFK Stadium was a chance for him to redeem himself to Black-and-Red fans.
“Let me just start by saying I think the fans deserve that [performance],” said Mullins after the 4-0 win. “I think that was the mission going into this game. We haven’t done enough at home to entertain, to meet the fans’ goals for us as a team. And a shutout, a full 90-minute performance and goals… the three of those haven’t been a combination for us much this year and it was good to do that tonight.”
Mullins’ performance on Saturday will solidify his spot in the United history books as he becomes only the third player in club history to score four goals. The last time fans at RFK Stadium saw a United player score four goals was when Abdul Thompson Conteh was on the score sheet four times in a 5-0 rout over New England on May 9, 2001.
While the feat of scoring four goals in a game is impressive when it stands alone, Mullins’ rapid succession of all four in a 31-minute window make him the fastest four-goal scorer in MLS history. He also became the first player to score four in a single half.
With his second Black-and-Red hat trick in the book (his first came in the 6-2 win against Chicago on Aug. 27, 2016) and multiple MLS records, Mullins will look to add to his season tally against the New York Red Bulls this Wednesday.
