Liel Abada has sent Charlotte FC into the MLS play-offs with an incredible 18-minute hat-trick off the bench.

In the match at home to CF Montreal, Abada was introduced in place of Rodolfo Aloko with 25 minutes remaining — what followed made history for the North Carolina club.

The ex-Celtic man was on fire with three fine finishes, comfortably making him the scorer of the fastest hat-trick in Charlotte’s history. A 4-0 win guaranteed their spot in the upcoming play-offs.

Two games remain for them to better their best-ever league finish of ninth. The treble took Abada’s total to eight for the season, his best return since his move to MLS in January 2024.

Charlotte FC 4-0 CF Montreal: Liel Abada secures play-off spot

Via MLS, Abada can be seen adding his third here. It comes third in the list of the fastest hat-tricks in MLS history, behind Hanut Karapetynan in 1998 and Hany Mukhtar in 2021.

It’s the second hat-trick of the winger’s career after his treble in Celtic’s 9-0 win over Dundee United at Tannadice in 2022 — Kyogo Furuhashi also scored three that day, and also now plies his trade in the States.

He isn’t the only man to score a hat-trick for Celtic and an MLS club — this has also been achieved by Robbie Keane and Giorgos Giakoumakis. Ex-Celts Teemu Pukki and Lewis Morgan have also scored trebles in the US.

Abada was still a teenager when he became one of Ange Postecoglou’s first signings in 2021 – he went on to put up solid numbers over two-and-a-half years in Glasgow.

His total of 15 goals in his debut season would’ve ranked him third among the club’s scorers this season. Among his strikes were crucial goals in Europe and against Rangers.

Shortly into Brendan Rodgers’ tenure, he made the move to Charlotte, where he has spent the last two-and-a-half years. He plays under ex-Aston Villa boss Dean Smith in the USA, moving to the club for a fee around £8 million.

He has been linked with a return to Europe on a number of occasions, with Swansea City, Norwich City and Birmingham City are among the interested clubs in England’s second tier.