Atlanta's Josef Martinez nets his fourth hat trick in 23rd MLS game

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Atlanta 4-1 Vancouver: Martinez puts three past 10-man Whitecaps - Via MLS

Whitecaps defender Kendall Watson was sent off early on, leaving the five stripes with plenty of opportunities to score four and bag a second straight home win.

Updated: May 17, 2023, 05:33 am

Josef Martinez scored added another hat trick to his young MLS career as Atlanta United rolled over the 10-man Vancouver Whitecaps 4-1 on Saturday.

In just 23 MLS games over two seasons, Martinez now has four hat tricks, one less than the all-time MLS regular-season record of five held by Stern John and Diego Cerna.

Vancouver's Kendall Waston was sent off following a video review in the 13th minute for swinging his elbow and bringing down Leandro Gonzalez Pirez while defending a set piece. Martinez then opened the scoring from the resulting penalty.

Atlanta doubled its lead in the 58th minute through an Aaron Maund own goal, and two minutes later Martinez made it 3-0 on the break after taking a pass from Miguel Almiron.

Whitecaps substitute Erik Hurtado found a goal on the break with five minutes to play, but Martinez restored Atlanta's three-goal lead in the 88th minute by heading home a pass from Andrew Carleton.

It was the first MLS assist for the promising 17-year-old Carleton, who played for the U.S. under-17 team at the World Cup last October.

Atlanta improved to six points from their opening three games, while Vancouver suffered its first loss after opening the season with two wins.