Hoppe has goals in three straight games, scoring five times in that span as he attempts to spark the struggling Bundesliga side.
Matthew Hoppe can't stop scoring for Schalke.
The 19-year-old American scored in his third straight Bundesliga match, bringing Schalke level with Koln in their midweek bout. After a hat trick vs. Hoffenheim and a goal in defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt, Hoppe pulled Schalke even Wednesday with somewhat of a fortuitous 57th-minute strike.
Hoppe was in the right place to pounce after Suat Serdar split a pair of defenders but momentarily lost control of the ball right in front of goal as he absorbed contact. Hoppe didn't hesitate to poke home the loose ball and make it 1-1.
Hoppe has new competition for minutes after Schalke brought veteran Klaas-Jan Huntelaar back to aid in the club's fight against relegation, but his continued scoring form will give manager Christian Gross plenty of food for thought. Wednesday's match was an important one for last-place Schalke, which entered the day trailing 16th-place Koln by five points.
Hoppe, who passed on playing at San Diego State for a shot in Germany and came through Barcelona's U.S. residency academy, has yet to be capped at any national team level for the U.S. For perspective, his five goals are more than any single-season tally former Borussia Dortmund and current U.S. and Chelsea standout Christian Pulisic had in his time in Germany.