Messi Strikes Again With Pure Brilliance While Holse Ignites St. Louis in MLS Goals of the Week

Matchday 29 brought the 2026 MLS season roaring back to life as international players rejoined their clubs.

The weekend delivered plenty of drama, with the Vancouver Whitecaps becoming the first Western Conference side to secure a playoff berth and a string of comeback wins as Decision Day draws closer.

Lionel Messi kept up his prolific form, netting a brace on Saturday to power Inter Miami to a commanding 4–0 triumph. His second strike was a classic, unmissable Messi moment.

Elsewhere, St. Louis City's Carlo Holse put on a stunning show on Sunday. The winger bagged three goals in just 21 minutes, making it the second-fastest hat trick in MLS history. Fueled by Holse's brilliance, St. Louis dismantled LA Galaxy 6–2, with an incredible five goals coming in the first half alone. The club has now extended its unbeaten run to 20 matches, equaling the league record.

Here are the top five goals from the weekend.

5. The Hat Trick Moment

CARLO HOLSE BAGS HAT TRICK 21 MINUTES INTO THE GAME! 🤯🎩@stlCITYsc fans erupt at Energizer Park. pic.twitter.com/KSZvy9JutX

Having already scored in the second and seventh minutes, Holse completed his hat trick just 14 minutes after that.

The 27-year-old forward brought down a long ball with his chest, then muscled past Galaxy defender Justin Haak to get his shot away. It marked Holse's finest performance in MLS, and since joining the league in mid-August, he has now tallied six goals.

4. The 15-Second Response

END TO END FOR @OrlandoCitySC and they've surely won it! 🫨

Maxime Crépeau save ➡️ Iván Angulo's finish at the end of a beautifully-worked play! pic.twitter.com/FNxTM4YJ4I

The Columbus Crew appeared set to snatch a late lead in the 88th minute, but just 15 seconds later, Orlando City had flipped the script.

Capitalizing on a stop by Orlando City goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, the Lions swiftly reclaimed the ball and surged forward into the attacking third. A slick one-two with Martín Ojeda left Iván Angulo perfectly placed at the edge of the six-yard box for a clinical first-time finish. Orlando claimed the 3–2 victory, leaving the Crew stunned.

3. The Sliding Finish

Kelvin Yeboah gets his 15th of the season!

Big response from the Loons to start the second half. 💪

📺 Apple TV: https://t.co/4PjpANnTy3 pic.twitter.com/QnmX7hrEjp

Minnesota United's Kelvin Yeboah showed tremendous determination, diving in at the back post to connect with a long ball from teammate Morris Duggan. His spectacular finish leveled the match shortly after halftime. With both sides adding one more goal each, the game ended in a draw.

Minnesota would have preferred all three points, but it will settle for the crucial draw — its first point in six matches. Yeboah now has 15 goals on the season.

2. Vintage Lionel Messi

Messi magic 🪄

Two goals for the World Cup Champion. pic.twitter.com/PMA1l5tyZk

In his first appearance since his emotional international retirement from Argentina last week, Messi demonstrated once more that he is nowhere near slowing down.

Messi struck twice against DC United, with his second goal seeing him glide past three defenders at the edge of the box with his trademark dribbling. The convincing win was a timely morale boost, as it was Inter Miami's first league victory since August.

The Argentine icon now has 23 goals this season, stretching his lead in the hotly contested Golden Boot race. FC Dallas's Petar Musa sits second with 19 goals.

1. 'Zlatan Ibrahimovic-Like' Execution

"Zlatan Ibrahimovic-like finish!" 👀

Brandon Vázquez halves the deficit and gets some momentum going for @AustinFC! 💪 pic.twitter.com/lo6OpLn2qr

Nothing was going to deny Austin FC's Brandon Vázquez his moment. Not the intense pressure from Nashville's defenders, an elbow to the back, or the fact that he is still working his way back to full fitness following an ACL injury.

The forward expertly cushioned a lofted ball with his chest before acrobatically swinging his right leg around Nashville defender Daniel Lovitz to slam the ball into the net, all while spinning to the ground in the opposite direction.

Despite Austin ultimately falling 4–1 to a dominant Nashville side, it was nonetheless a breathtaking Zlatan Ibrahimović-esque strike.

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