Liel Abada Hat Trick Sends Charlotte Into MLS Playoffs

Israeli forward Liel Abada scored a second-half hat trick as Charlotte FC beat CF Montréal 4–0 on October 28 and secured a place in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Fellow Israeli Idan Toklomati opened the scoring at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, before Abada came off the bench to add three goals. Toklomati headed in Allan Saint-Maximin’s cross in the seventh minute, taking his season total to 15 goals. He has scored in five consecutive matches. Abada entered in the 65th minute and scored in the 67th, 79th and 83rd minutes. Toklomati assisted his second goal, while Pep Biel helped create the third. Abada said: “I want to help the team.” The performance gave Charlotte the third hat trick in its history, following those scored by Daniel Rios and Toklomati. Goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina also recorded his sixth clean sheet of the season as Charlotte completed the four-goal victory without conceding. Coach Dean Smith pointed to the team’s consistency and said two regular-season matches remained before preparations for the playoffs. Charlotte’s next match is at home against Orlando City on Saturday, October 31. The victory over Montréal confirmed its playoff qualification before that next fixture.