NEW YORK (Monday, June 17, 2024) – FC Cincinnati forward Yuya Kubo was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Matchday for Matchday 20 of the 2024 MLS season.
Kubo recorded his first career hat trick as part of Cincinnati’s 4-2 comeback road victory over the San Jose Earthquakes at PayPal Park on Matchday 20 (Watch Highlights From His Performance Here ). Kubo, who entered the match in the 64th minute, scored all three goals in the span of nine minutes and 10 seconds. The Japanese midfielder’s hat trick was the fastest scored by an FC Cincinnati player in the club’s MLS era, and it was the second-fastest hat trick scored in MLS action in the last 20 years. With the road victory, Cincinnati became the seventh team in MLS history to win at least five consecutive road matches in a single season (excluding the shootout era) and the first to accomplish the feat since CF Montréal in 2022, who won an MLS record seven consecutive road games from July 23 to Oct. 9.
After Cincinnati fell behind 2-1 in the second half, 2023 Landon Donovan MLS MVP Luciano Acosta found a streaking Kubo with a one-timed pass and the forward did the rest by slotting his finish past the San Jose goalkeeper to tie the score in the 78th minute (Watch Here). Just two minutes later, the duo combined again with Kubo scoring from close range on a first-time finish (Watch Here ). The Japanese striker wrapped up his hat trick in the 87th minute when Acosta slipped him in behind the defense and Kubo slid his effort in between the goalkeeper’s legs for the 4-2 victory (Watch Here).
This is the first time Kubo has been named MLS Player of the Matchday in his career and he is the second Cincinnati player to earn the honor in 2024, joining Luca Orellano (Matchday 16). Kubo is also the first Japanese player in MLS history to win a Player of the Matchday honor.
Cincinnati will aim to make it nine wins in their last 10 matches when they host the Philadelphia Union at TQL Stadium on Wednesday, June 19 (7:45 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV / FS1).
The MLS Player of the Matchday is selected each matchday of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while an X (formerly known as Twitter) fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio, and online media.
