Marcus Caldeira scored a hat trick in his professional debut — three goals before halftime, in a 4-2 road win for Minnesota United’s reserve team over Austin FC II on Sunday night.
The former West Virginia forward opened the scoring in the 3rd minute off a press interception, doubled it in the 21st on a close-range finish inside the box, then stepped up and converted a penalty in the 39th to complete it before the half was over.
It was the first hat trick in a season opener in the history of Minnesota
United FC II’s five-year existence, and just the fourth hat trick in a single game in the reserve team’s history.
Minnesota United drafted Caldeira 20th overall in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft. He opted to return to WVU rather than sign, spent two more seasons becoming the third-leading scorer in program history with 42 goals, then signed with the Loons on January 28th.
He’s been a pro for five weeks and leads MNUFC2 in goals. If you watched him at West Virginia, none of this is surprising. If you didn’t, now you know.
For my soccerheads — does Caldeira force his way onto Minnesota’s first team roster before the season is out?
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