Hoppe scores hat trick in Bundesliga

by Travis Clark

January 10, 2021

History was made on Saturday.

Nineteen year old striker Matthew Hoppe became the first American to score a hat trick in the Bundesliga, finding the back of the net three times for Schalke in a 4-0 win against Hoffenheim. It snapped a 30-game winless streak for the German club.

A native of Yorba Linda, California, Hoppe signed with Schalke back in 2019, bypassing a commitment to play college soccer at San Diego State. He played club soccer at Barca Academy in Arizona, along with Strikers FC before moving to Germany.

Schalke is currently 17th in the Bundesliga, one of two automatic relegation places. Hoppe was making just his fifth appearance of the season for the first team.