Janssen becomes first Timbers player in MLS era to record a hat-trick
PORTLAND, Ore. - Vincent Janssen made his first Timbers start on Saturday, and it could not have been a more historic night.
Scoring in the 11th, 26th and 55th minutes, Janssen tallied the Timbers’ first MLS regular-season hat trick in club history as the Timbers defeated Minnesota United FC, 5-4, in a thrilling match Saturday evening at Providence Park.
Kristoffer Velde also scored for the Timbers while a thundering strike from Ariel Lassiter turned into an own goal to Portland's favor. With the win, The Timbers (9-10-4, 31pts) moved back into a playoff position.
Janssen’s Historic Hat Trick
Vincent Janssen made his first MLS start and etched himself into club history, notching the Timbers’ first Major League Soccer hat trick. His three-goal performance snaps Portland’s streak of 558 MLS games without the feat, as Portland became the last club in the league to achieve a hat trick in its 16th season. Notably, Janssen became just the third player in league history to score three or more goals in their first start.
Goal-Scoring Plays
POR – Vincent Janssen (penalty kick), 11th minute: Vincent Janssen stepped up and buried a penalty into the bottom left corner of the goal.
POR – Drake Callender (own goal), 20th minute: Vincent Janssen played the ball to Ariel Lassiter in the middle of the field, where he took a touch inside and rifled a left-footed shot into the top right corner of the crossbar before bouncing off the keeper and into the net.
POR – Vincent Janssen (David Da Costa, Eric Miller), 26th minute: David Da Costa ran down the right wing and sent in a low cross finished by Vincent Janssen on the top of the six-yard-box.
MIN – Marcus Caldeira (Joaquín Pereyra), 32nd minute: Joaquín Pereyra sent a through ball into the box and Marcus Caldeira took a touch before finishing with a right-footed shot into the right goal.
MIN – Anthony Markanich (Kelvin Yeboah), 38th minute: Anthony Markanich received a back pass at the top of the box and struck a left footed shot into the top left of goal.
MIN – Marcus Caldeira, 50th minute: Marcus Caldeira picked off a loose ball in the box and tapped it into the open goal.
POR – Vincent Janssen (Ariel Lassiter), 55th minute: Ariel Lassiter cut in from the right wing and found Vincent Janssen who turned and slotted a shot into the bottom right corner for his hat trick.
POR – Kristoffer Velde (Antony), 74th minute: Antony intercepted a ball in Portland’s own third and dashed down the right sideline into the opponent’s box, sending a low pass across the area. Kristoffer Velde received the ball at the far side and fired a left-footed shot into the goal.
MIN – Tomás Chancalay (Carlos Harvey, Morris Duggan), 90+2 minute: Tomás Chancalay scored with a right-footed shot from the center of the box to the bottom right corner.
Notes
- Vincent Janssen made his first MLS start (fourth appearance) and scored the club’s historic first MLS hat trick.
- Notably, Janssen is the third player in MLS history to score at least three goals in his first league start.
- Janssen’s three-goal performance broke a streak of 558 MLS games without a hat trick for the Timbers.
- In their 16th season, the Timbers became the last club in the MLS to achieve a hat trick.
- Janssen also became the fourth Timbers player to score at least two goals in his first MLS start.
- Janssen is the third player this season to register at least three goal contributions for Portland in a match.
- The Timbers (9-10-4, 31pts) climbed into eighth place in the Western Conference following tonight’s win.
- The Timbers have the third most goals scored in the Western Conference (44).
- Portland has now scored in 13 straight matches across all competitions dating back to May 23.
- Tonight’s result marked the club’s third match with five or more goals scored this season.
- Of note, the Timbers have lost just one of their six most recent MLS home games, securing a record of 4-1-1 at Providence Park since July 22.
- Kristoffer Velde registered his sixth goal of the season.
- Velde reached 15 goal contributions on the season (6G, 9A) to lead the club.
- Velde also has five goal contributions in his last five matches (2G, 3A).
- Ariel Lassiter recorded an assist on the night.
- Lassiter now has eight goal contributions on the season (3G, 5A) and three in his last five appearances (1G, 2A).
- Eric Miller secured an assist, his first goal contribution of the year.
- David Da Costa recorded his eighth assist of the season.
- It is Da Costa’s fourth goal contribution in his last six MLS appearances (2G, 2A).
- Antony also registered an assist on the night, his fifth goal contribution of the season (3G, 2A).
- Joel Waterman made his Timbers debut, coming on as a second half substitute.
Next Game
The Timbers remain at home for the final game of a three-match homestand, hosting St. Louis CITY SC on Wednesday, Sep. 9. Kickoff from Providence Park is set for 7:30pm PT on Apple TV in English and Spanish with local radio broadcasts on 105.1 FM/1080 AM The Fan (English) and La GranD 93.5 FM/1150AM (Spanish).
Portland Timbers (9-10-4, 31pts) vs. Minnesota United FC (7-8-8, 29pts)
September 5, 2026 – Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)
Goals by Half |
1 |
2 |
F |
Portland Timbers |
3 |
2 |
5 |
Minnesota United FC |
2 |
2 |
4 |
Scoring Summary:
POR: Janssen (penalty kick), 11
POR: Callender (own goal), 20
POR: Janssen (Da Costa, E. Miller), 26
MIN: Caldeira (Pereyra), 32
MIN: Markanich (Yeboah), 38
MIN: Caldeira, 50
POR: Janssen (Lassiter, Bassett), 55
POR: Velde (Antony), 71
MIN: Chancalay (Duggan), 90+2
Misconduct Summary:
MIN: Boxall (caution), 24
POR: Surman (caution), 45+7
MIN: Diaz (caution), 74
MIN: Duggan (caution), 90+6
Lineups:
POR: GK Pantemis, D E. Miller (Waterman, 81), D Surman ©, D K. Miller, D Fory, M Bassett, M Caicedo (Ortiz, 37), M Da Costa (Smith, 81), F Lassiter (Antony, 68), F Velde, F Janssen (Chara, 68)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Sulte, D Bonetig, M Fernandez, F Guerra
TOTAL SHOTS: 12 (Janssen, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Janssen, 3); FOULS: 12 (four players tied, 2); OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 4; SAVES: 3
MIN: GK Callender, D Markanich (Gonzalez, 88), D Boxall ©, D Duggan, D Diaz, M Trapp (Triantis, 72), M Gene (Harvey, 88), M Duncan, M Pereyra, F Yeboah (Malone, 78), F Caldeira (Chancalay, 72)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Smir, D Romero, D Chandler, F Jackson
TOTAL SHOTS: 15 (Pereyra, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 7 (Caldeira, 2); FOULS: 18 (Gene, 3); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 1
Referee: Filip Dujic
Assistant Referees: Brooke Mayo, Stephen McGonagle
Fourth Official: Cristian Campo Hernandez
VAR: Kevin Stott
Attendance: 20,632
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial.
