Philadelphia Union forward Milan Iloski was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob ULTRA for Matchday 28 of the 2026 MLS season.
Iloski recorded his second hat trick of the MLS season as the Philadelphia Union defeated Orlando City SC, 4-2, to extend their unbeaten streak to 12 games. Iloski became the third player in club history to produce multiple hat tricks in the same season, joining Julián Carranza and Dániel Gazdag (2022), and is the only player in MLS to do so this season. Iloski now has 16 goals in regular-season play, which is his single-season career high and tied for the fourth most in MLS. Led by Iloski, the Union have recorded 32 points during their 12-game unbeaten streak since returning from the FIFA World Cup break, which is tied for the most points by a club in a 12-game span in MLS history.
After earning a penalty kick in the 11th minute, Iloski stepped up and slotted home the penalty to give the Union a 1-0 lead. Eight minutes later he doubled the advantage, finding space behind the Orlando City defense and slotting a right-footed finish underneath the diving goalkeeper. With Philadelphia up 3-0 in the second half, Iloski completed his hat trick from 25.6 yards by firing a sensational strike into the top corner of the net.
Iloski has earned the second MLS Player of the Matchday honor of his career, after previously taking home the award on Matchday 20 of 2025. Three different Union players have earned three of the last four MLS Player of the Matchday honors, with the last time this occurred in 2013 – Kenny Miller, Camilo Sanvezzo, and Brad Knighton for Vancouver Whitecaps FC (Matchdays 16, 17, and 19).
Iloski and the Union will return after the FIFA International Window on Saturday, October 10, when they host Real Salt Lake at Subaru Park (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS on Apple TV).
The MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob ULTRA is selected each matchday of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while an Instagram fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio, and online media.
The MLS Player of the Matchday is selected each matchday of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while an Instagram fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio, and online media.
