Croatian international Petar Musa has achieved a significant individual milestone in Major League Soccer, becoming the league's top scorer. In the away match against Portland Timbers, Musa came off the bench and scored in the 88th minute to give his club, FC Dallas, a 2-1 lead. Although Dallas eventually conceded a goal, leaving the final score at 2-2, Musa recorded his 13th goal of the season.
With this goal, Musa surpassed Belgian striker Hugo Cuypers, who had previously held 13 goals, and took sole possession of the lead in the race for top scorer. For comparison, Argentine star Leo Messi is currently third in the scoring charts with 12 goals, although he has seven assists. Musa, aged 28, has recorded two assists alongside his 13 goals in the part of the season played so far.
This was Musa's 16th appearance for Dallas in MLS this season. The goal was his first since returning from the World Cup. The Croatian footballer began his career at NK Zagreb, and over the years has played for Viktoria Žižkov, Slavia Prague, Boavista, and Slovan Liberec. In February 2024, he moved from Benfica to Dallas, with the transfer value estimated at €10 million.
FC Dallas currently sits eighth on the MLS table with 26 points. The league leaders are Nashville with 39 points, making them the main contenders for the top of the table. Musa's performance has contributed to stabilising the team in the middle of the table, although Dallas trails the leading side by a significant margin.
