SAN JOSE, Calif. — Josef Martínez delivered an electrifying performance for the San Jose Earthquakes by scoring his seventh hat trick in a dominating 6-1 victory over D.C. United on Sunday. This achievement moved Martinez to the sixth spot on the league’s all-time scoring list.
Martínez netted his first goal in the 16th minute after Cristian “Chicho” Arango had already opened the scoring in the 8th, setting the Earthquakes (3-3-1) on a strong path with a 2-0 lead. As the game progressed, Martínez struck again in the 81st minute to bring the tally to 4-1. The final touches came in stoppage time when Amahl Pellegrino added a goal in the 90th minute, followed shortly by Martínez completing his hat trick in the second minute of stoppage time. An earlier goal by Cristian Espinoza via a penalty kick in the 20th minute rounded out the Earthquakes’ impressive performance.
Martínez’s latest hat trick comes after a break spanning six years and 259 days, representing the second-longest gap in league history, surpassed only by Dwayne De Rosario’s streak of 7 years and 313 days. Since joining the league in 2017, Martínez has accumulated 120 goals across 190 appearances, including four goals during his current season with San Jose. His achievement places him ahead of Bradley Wright-Phillips on the all-time list, with the likes of Jaime Moreno (133) and Jeff Cunningham (134) within reach. Chris Wondolowski leads the all-time list with 171 goals, with the majority scored for the Earthquakes.
Arango, also marking his first season with San Jose, has scored four times in this campaign, contributing to his 57 goals over 99 career matches. Meanwhile, Cristian Espinoza not only saw his first goal of the season but also provided two assists, sharing the league lead with five assists alongside Pep Biel of Charlotte FC.
San Jose’s attack was further bolstered by assists from Niko Tsakiris, Jamar Ricketts, Mark-Anthony Kaye, and Pellegrino. On a contrasting note, D.C. United (1-3-3) managed a lone goal before halftime, with reigning Golden Boot winner Christian Benteke finding the back of the net two minutes into stoppage time, assisted by Derek Dodson and Gabriel Pirani. Benteke’s goal marked his fifth of the current season following a 23-goal campaign last year.
In the defensive effort, San Jose’s Daniel De Sousa Britto made nine crucial saves, repeating his performance from the previous week’s 1-1 draw against the Seattle Sounders. D.C. United’s Kim Joon Hong managed three saves during the match.
Looking ahead, D.C. United will host FC Cincinnati on Saturday, while the Earthquakes are set to face Los Angeles FC, also on Saturday.