Two deserving candidates for Player of the Matchday after this the 30th round of MLS matches of the 2025 season, with two players instrumental in their teams earning blowout wins at home to help with their push for prime MLS Cup Playoffs seeding.
I made the bold, arguably questionable, choice of not voting for a player who scored the hat trick. It's happened before in this column and below I'll explain why it happened again, while also updating you on a very New York City FC-centric MLS Team of the Matchday.
The HRB Ballot, Matchday 30
1. Hany Mukhtar, Nashville SC
The 2022 MLS MVP was back in that MVP form for Nashville in their 5-1 demolition of Orlando City SC.
Hany Mukhtar produced two excellent finishes for goals in the first half, dished out the primary assist on Sam Surridge's opening goal in the match's second minute, then added a "hockey assist" by starting a straight-from-the-training-ground corner kick routine on the fifth and final Nashville goal in second-half stoppage time.
His first goal came straight from a long throw-in, which is always fun, let the set-piece chaos reign. Mukhtar then beat Pedro Gallese at his near post with a first-time strike for his brace, at which point the rout was on, with the score 3-0 Nashville in the 40th minute.
Mukhtar dominated in this game, beyond the three goal contributions. He created four chances, completed 95% of his passes, and drew the most fouls, three, of any player. Orlando couldn’t deal with Mukhtar, and the whole of MLS is once again seeing Nashville’s No 10 play like one of the best players in the league.
While not quite putting up the numbers of his 2022 MVP campaign, Mukhtar is up to 14 goals and seven assists in MLS regular-season play this season, a big leap in production from the eight goals and nine assists he produced in 2024. The complete 90-minute attacking performance he produced against Orlando was worthy of Player of the Matchday.
2. Danny Musovski, Seattle Sounders FC
Two headed goals and a converted penalty kick for Musovski, who now leads all Major League Soccer players in expected goals (xG) per 90 minutes, and who had his third multi-goal game out of his last five MLS appearances.
Seattle trounced Sporting Kansas City 5-2 behind Musovski's hat trick, continuing their summer surge as they climb up to 4th Place in the Western Conference, and as they get ready to play a Leagues Cup semifinal against LA Galaxy. Musovski's clinical finishing in front of goal and from the spot made him well worth votes for Player of the Matchday, but his performance wasn't as complete as Mukhtar's for me.
Musovski missed two other big chances and had the fewest touches of the ball of any Seattle starter and was withdrawn in the 84th minute likely with an eye toward saving something for that Leagues Cup semifinal at midweek. A hat trick is always an eye-catcher but for me, Musovski's three goals paled somewhat in comparison to Hany Mukhtar's individual brilliance against Orlando.
Official Player of the Matchday: Danny Musovski
Hat tricks usually get you wins in the Player of the Matchday vote, an axiom that held true with Musovski. It's been an incredible season for the 29-year-old journeyman striker, as he'd never eclipsed five goals scored in any of his previous five MLS seasons. For a Sounders squad that usually includes bigger-name attacking players like Jesús Ferreira, Albert Rusnák, or Jordan Morris, Musovski has carried a heavy load this season and gets some individual recognition for his efforts on Matchday 30.
MLS Team of the Matchday
Starters: Michael Collodi (DAL) - Kai Wagner (PHI), Daniel Munie (SJ), Mamadou Fofana (NE), Miki Yamane (LA) - Robin Lod (MIN), Aiden O’Neill (NYC), Hany Mukhtar (NSH) - Danny Musovski (SEA), Sam Surridge (NSH), Son Heung-Min (LAFC)
Coach: Pascal Jansen (NYC)
Bench: Kristijan Kahlina (CLT), Josh Bauer (NSH), Elijah Wynder (LA), Danny Leyva (SEA), Baltasar Rodríguez (MIA), Milan Iloski (PHI), Thomas Müller (VAN), Prince Owusu (MTL), Alonso Martínez (NYC)
New York City FC with a starter, a sub, and the coach of this Team of the Matchday after they went into Cincinnati and silenced Evander and company for arguably their best win of the 2025 season. This is Aiden O'Neill's first time making the Starting XI of a Team of the Matchday since joining New York City this spring, while it's also Pascal Jansen's first time named coach of Team of the Matchday. Traveling to beat the team that had been perched atop the MLS Eastern Conference got NYCFC some warranted attention. Nashville had three players in this squad, Seattle with two, also proving the power of those lopsided score lines.
