MLS: New York City FC’s Hannes Wolf Named Player of the Matchday After Historic Hat Trick
- Staff Writer
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
NEW YORK — Major League Soccer announced today that New York City FC midfielder Hannes Wolf has been voted the MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob ULTRA for Matchday 12 of the 2026 season.
The Austrian playmaker earned the honor following a masterclass performance on Saturday, where he netted his first career MLS hat trick to lead NYCFC to a dominant 3-0 victory over the Columbus Crew.
A "One-Touch" Masterclass
Wolf’s performance was a study in clinical finishing, with all three goals coming via sophisticated one-timed strikes.
12th Minute: The scoring opened after a sweeping team move that began with goalkeeper Matt Freese. Agustín Ojeda eventually found Wolf, who placed a first-time effort into the corner for the 1-0 lead.
16th Minute: Just four minutes later, Wolf doubled the advantage, ghosting into the box to provide another one-touch finish from close range.
66th Minute: Wolf completed the hat trick in style, unleashing a first-time rocket from just outside the 18-yard box to secure the three points and etch his name into the club's record books.
Climbing the Record Books
Wolf’s three-goal outburst marks the eighth regular-season hat trick in NYCFC history and the first since Alonso Martínez achieved the feat in July 2025. The midfielder is now the seventh player in the league to record a hat trick during the 2026 campaign.
The performance also moved Wolf further up the club's all-time statistical leaderboards. He has now recorded 37 regular-season goal contributions (21 goals, 16 assists) in his NYCFC career, the seventh-most in franchise history. He currently sits just one shy of Martínez and Jesús Medina (38) for the fifth-most all-time.
Award Significance
This marks the first time Wolf has received the Player of the Matchday honor. He is only the second NYCFC player to earn the award since the start of the 2023 season, joining Martínez. Additionally, Wolf is the first Austrian to win the award in nearly nine years, following Daniel Royer in 2017.
2026 Player of the Matchday Winners (Recent):
Matchday 10: Timo Werner (San Jose Earthquakes)
Matchday 11: Martín Ojeda (Orlando City SC)
Matchday 12: Hannes Wolf (New York City FC)
Upcoming Schedule
Wolf and NYCFC have a high-stakes week ahead as they look to build on this momentum:
Wednesday, May 13: at Charlotte FC (7:15 p.m. ET | Apple TV / FS1)
Saturday, May 16: vs. Red Bull New York (7:30 p.m. ET | Apple TV) — The Hudson River Derby --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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