Milan Iloski did not need the ball very often. Thirty-one touches all night, and three of them ended up in the net. Philadelphia Union beat Orlando City SC 4-2, and the forward walked away with a match rating of 10.0 for a performance built on ruthless economy rather than volume.
A hat-trick from so little involvement says everything about how Iloski plays. He was not the man dictating tempo or stringing together long passages of possession. He registered a single key pass all match. What he did instead was find the moments that mattered and finish them, three times over, in a game that swung Philadelphia's way by two goals in the end.
The numbers behind the display
- 3 goals
- 0 assists
- 1 key pass
- 31 touches
- Match rating: 10.0
Orlando City SC were not without their own moments, getting on the scoresheet twice, but they could not find an answer for the sharpest man on the pitch. Philadelphia's 4-2 scoreline flattered a contest that, for long stretches, looked like it belonged to one player and one player alone.
There is a version of this game where a forward dominates the ball, completes dozens of passes, and still finishes with a single goal. Iloski's night was the opposite: minimal touches, maximum return, and a perfect rating to show for it.