Red Bull New York's Julian Hall makes hat-trick history!

Julian Hall can't stop making history!

On Wednesday, the 18-year-old striker scored all three goals for Red Bull New York in a 3-2 win over Columbus Crew at Sports Illustrated Stadium, becoming the youngest player in MLS history to log a regular-season hat-trick.

"I heard it earlier after the game, and I'm not going to lie – I got kind of emotional," Hall said about the hat-trick record. "It just makes me think about all the times I was working so hard to make memories like this. I'm just really grateful and thankful for the guys that set me up and put me in a great position."

The Red Bull homegrown has hit the ground running in 2026, starting every match of the season so far and logging nine goals in 13 appearances. He's firmly in the Golden Boot presented by Audi race alongside much more established strikers like Petar Musa (FC Dallas), Sam Surridge (Nashville SC), Hugo Cuypers (Chicago Fire FC) and Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF).

"Jules is a great kid. Nothing's going in his head," said head coach Michael Bradley. "He comes in every day ready to work, ready to train, ready to listen. He has great personality. He has really good starting points as a player. And I've enjoyed every second of working with him."

All-Star credentials

With the win, the Red Bulls climb to sixth place in the Eastern Conference table, taking five wins and 18 points from their opening 13 matches. Hall has been the focal point of their attack, with his nine goals equalling 41% of their attacking output this year. That level of production has him firmly in the mix for the MLS All-Star roster.

"Do coaches get votes? Were we allowed to vote for players on our own team?" Bradley laughed post-match. "Are we allowed to vote for our own guys? No? If I were a coach on another team, I'd vote for Jules. In all seriousness, he's had a really good start to the season. Some of the honors and the recognition and some of the things that go with that are great. And he deserves that in every way. But ultimately, that's not what you play for."

"If in the process it comes, then we would all be very proud of him and very excited for him. But there are bigger and more important things. And he knows that, we know that, and we're gonna keep working towards those things."

World Cup dreams?

Hall's electric form to start the season has sparked speculation about a potential surprise call-up to the US national team ahead of this summer's FIFA World Cup. Hall has been capped by the US at the U15 and U17 levels, and is also eligible to represent Poland internationally. 

While he left his options open to representing both countries, he made it clear that playing in a World Cup – this year or in the future – is certainly a goal.

"Whatever happens happens, my focus is with the club. But obviously it's a dream of anyone that plays to play in the World Cup. I hope someday that happens, but if it's not this year, then I'm going to keep working hard and striving for that goal."