Zlatan Ibrahimovic now officially owns the highest goal scoring season in LA Galaxy history. And don't write him off just yet for the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi, either.
With his hat trick during the Galaxy's 7-2 thumping of Sporting Kansas City at Dignity Health Sports Park on Sunday night, Ibrahimovic moved to 26 goals for the season, two back of LAFC's Carlos Vela for the top spot in the Golden Boot race.
And perhaps lost in the Vela vs. Ibra storyline was that the latter also broke a club record that had stood for 17 years, surpassing Carlos Ruiz's 24-goal season in 2002.
The outburst moved Ibrahimovic above Atlanta United's Josef Martinez and into second place in the current Golden Boot pursuit, and left the Swedish superstar with a puncher's chance of reaching the all-time goal scoring record of 31 Martinez set last year.
Both Vela and Ibrahimovic have as many as four games remaining to challenge Martinez's mark, while Martinez has as many as five left to build on his current total of 24.
Ibrahimovic's third career MLS hat trick came in a crucial victory for the Galaxy, who moved up three spots and above the Western Conference playoff line into fifth place in the Western Conference. Coming into Sunday, LA had earned only five points in their last eight matches.
