NASHVILLE — Hany Mukhtar scored three goals, his first hat trick since 2023, and Nashville SC beat LAFC 3-2 on Sunday night.
Mukhtar, the 2022 MLS MVP, became the seventh player in MLS history with at least five regular-season hat tricks.
Nashville (9-1-3) leads MLS with 30 points this season and is unbeaten, with five wins, in its past seven games. San José and Vancouver are tied atop the Western Conference with 29 points apiece.
LAFC (6-5-3) has lost three consecutive games and is winless in four straight.
Mukhtar tapped a pass to Warren Madrigal at the top of the penalty box. Madrigal flicked a slick pass back to a charging Mukhtar for the finish from the right corner of the six-yard box in the 13th minute. The 21-year-old Madrigal has five goal contributions (three goals, two assists) in the past five games.
Mukhtar also scored on free kicks in the 21st and 59th minutes. The 31-year-old has 101 goals across all competitions in 229 appearances for Nashville.
David Martinez scored a goal for the second consecutive game in the 22nd minute and Denis Bouanga added a goal in the 68th for LAFC.
Brian Schwake had seven saves for Nashville.
Thomas Hasal made his second start this season in place of Hugo Lloris (thigh) and finished with one save. Lloris was injured in training Wednesday and is out indefinitely.
LAFC outshot Nashville 21-8, 9-4 on target.
Nashville’s Sam Surridge and Andy Nájar did not play. Surridge missed his fourth consecutive game because of what the club is calling a “middle body” injury. The 27-year-old forward, who was injured late in a 4-2 loss to Charlotte on April 25, has nine goals in seven appearances (four starts) this season. Nájar suffered a muscle injury in Wednesday’s 3-0 win at New England.