On This Day in 2006, Twellman Scored the Ninth USMNT Hat-Trick in a Victory over Norway
Taylor Twellman had become one of Major League Soccer's most lethal strikers, leading the league with 17 goals during his 2005 MVP campaign. Yet the New England Revolution star struggled to translate that form to the international stage, managing just one goal in his first 14 appearances with the U.S. Men's National Team.
"Everyone expected me to score a boatload of goals right away," Twellman reflected. "For me, I knew good things would happen. I knew the goals would come."
Everything finally clicked on January 29 before a hopeful crowd in Carson, California. The tenacious 25-year-old forward, who had already scored 64 goals in 98 MLS matches since joining New England in 2002, unleashed his full attacking arsenal against Norway.
Twellman opened the scoring in just the fifth minute with a precise left-footed strike past goalkeeper Espen Johnsen. Twelve minutes later, he powered home a header to double the lead. As the Americans dominated possession and peppered the Norwegian goal with 24 shots, Twellman completed his hat trick - only the ninth in USMNT history - with another thunderous header in the 76th minute.
"It is always gratifying to score and even more when it's three goals," Twellman told reporters after the 5-0 victory. "If we keep this up, we should have a decent World Cup."
U.S. manager Bruce Arena seemed equally impressed. "If what Taylor is seeking is a spot on the final roster that is traveling to Germany, he is definitely on the right track with a hat-trick performance," he said after the match.
But when Arena announced his 23-man World Cup squad in May, Twellman's name was missing, with Eddie Johnson, Josh Wolff, Brian McBride and Brian Ching selected as the team's forwards. Arena admitted it was an agonizing decision, revealing that Twellman had moved between being included and excluded multiple times during the selection process.
"We looked at our overall roster and tried to find the right balance," Arena explained. "There's no question in my mind that Taylor could have been included in that group. There was such a fine line, there's not one fact that made a difference."
Twellman was back at Revolution training in the pouring rain the following day, refusing to let the disappointment derail him. "He could stick his head between his legs, or he could stand up and get on with it," Revolution manager Steve Nicol observed, "and this morning, he stood up and got on with it."
Twellman has reflected on the snub over the years and, most recently in 2022, said, "I did the best I could. I scored a ton of goals and the manager at that given day was like, 'you know what? I don't want him to be part of the team.' I've got to find a way to live with that and fortunately enough, I've got enough grace to understand it, but I ain't gonna lie to you guys, you know me well enough, it's not easy. Like, it is what it is and we've got to move on and I have actually in a weird way."
The World Cup dream would ultimately prove elusive for Twellman. By the time the 2010 tournament arrived, the former MLS MVP had been forced to retire at age 30, his promising career cut short by seven documented concussions. That January afternoon in Carson, when everything aligned for three magical goals, would stand as the peak of his international career and a bittersweet reminder of what might have been.