January 9, 2021
Casa Grande, Ariz – Saturday, January 9, 2021 marks the day that Barça Residency Academy alumni Matthew Hoppe will never forget. In just his sixth appearance with FC Schalke, the 19-year-old striker made history as he became the first ever American to score a hat-trick in the German Bundesliga and the youngest American to score three goals in a single match in Europe’s top five leagues.
What made the day even more remarkable is that it was Hoppe’s three goals that helped propel the Royal Blues to their first win of the 2020-21 season, a 4-0 win over TSG 1899 Hoffenheim that snapped a 30-game winless streak that dated back to January 17, 2020.
In his third start of the season, Hoppe opened the scoring three minutes before halftime with a lovely chip over the goalkeeper, marking his first Bundesliga goal, but the day would become increasingly sweeter thereafter. Hoppe doubled the advantage in the 57th minute and etched his name in the history books in the 63rd minute when he completed his hat-trick. Midfielder Amine Harit, who provided the assist on all three of Hoppe’s goals, netted the fourth goal in the 79th minute to top off the 4-0 win over Hoffenheim.
Adding even more to the significance of his performance, Schalke had only scored eight Bundesliga goals prior to this weekend. Hoppe’s hat trick now accounts for 25 percent of the club’s goals this season.
“I don’t know how to feel. I’m excited, I’m happy the team got the win and that I got to contribute to it,” Hoppe the Yorba Linda, California native told ESPN.
Hoppe spent the 2017-18 and 2018-19 season at Barça Residency Academy before signing with FC Schalke in the summer of 2019. It was at Barça Residency Academy that Hoppe immerged as an elite striker as he led the now dissolved U.S. Soccer Development Academy (DA) in scoring in the 2018-19 season with 29 goals scored in 20 appearance. Hoppe was also a top goal scorer in the 2017-18 season where he and teammates Julian Araujo, LA Galaxy midfielder, and Caden Clark, New York Red Bulls midfielder led Barça Residency Academy to the DA semi-finals and a third place finish. Hoppe previously spent time with Southern California club, Strikers FC.
More on Hoppe’s time at Barça Residency Academy
Hoppe’s name began to garner international recognition last season when he made waves with the Schalke U-19s. He was promoted to the U-23 team at the start of the 2020-21 season where he appeared in 15 games before making his Bundesliga debut with the first team on November 28, 2020.
Just 42 days after his Bundesliga debut, Matthew Hoppe will go down in history as the first American to score a hat-trick in the Bundesliga, the third American to do so in any of Europe’s top five leagues, and the youngest to do so.
