Charlotte, North Carolina: Abada Hat Trick Powers Charlotte FC Past Montreal 4-0 to Clinch a Playoff Berth

Charlotte FC are going back to the playoffs, and they got there in style on Wednesday night at Bank of America Stadium. Liel Abada entered the match as a substitute in the 65th minute and scored in the 67th, 79th and 83rd minutes, the first hat trick of his career, as Charlotte beat CF Montreal 4-0 to clinch a berth in the 2026 MLS Cup playoffs. The win sealed a postseason place for the fourth consecutive season, and head coach Dean Smith has now taken the club to the playoffs in every year he has led the team.

Idan Toklomati opened the scoring in the seventh minute. Allan Saint-Maximin spun toward the end line on the left side of the penalty area and crossed to the center of the box, where Toklomati headed the ball past Montreal goalkeeper Samsy Keita. It was Toklomati's 15th goal of the season, and he scored for the fifth straight game. He later added an assist on Abada's second goal.

A substitute changes the match

Abada replaced Rodolfo Aloko in the 65th minute and needed only two minutes to score. He ran down the left side on a transition play, took a pass from Djibril Diani and hooked a right-footed shot into the bottom right corner. In the 79th minute he lifted a left-footed shot from the center of the box past Keita after a pass from Toklomati. Four minutes later he finished a give-and-go with Pep Biel, shooting from the center of the area to complete the scoring.

Abada's hat trick was the third in club history, after earlier ones by Toklomati and Daniel Rios. The 25-year-old forward has scored all eight of his goals this season, a career high, since the All-Star break. Biel finished with three assists and Diani with two. Charlotte goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina needed only one save, a diving stop on Hennadiy Synchuk in the 22nd minute, while Keita stopped three shots for Montreal. Charlotte reached four goals in a match for the second time this season and snapped a winless skid.

What the win means

Charlotte improved to 14-10-8 and sits fifth in the Eastern Conference with 50 points, two points behind fourth-place Chicago Fire FC. A top-four finish would bring home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The club can still finish third or higher, which would be its best regular season finish, and can reach a maximum of 56 points, which would be the second-best total in club history. Two regular season matches remain.

Montreal fell to 6-19-7 and is winless in its last five matches. Montreal has the fewest points in the Eastern Conference with 25 and the worst goal differential at minus 30, and Wednesday was the 13th time this season the club was shut out.

Charlotte closes the home schedule on Saturday, October 31, when Orlando City SC visits Bank of America Stadium for the club's Fan Appreciation Match on Halloween. Montreal plays Saturday at New York City FC.