Tai Baribo owns the night with a Hat Trick as Union dominate FC Cincinnati in Home Opener

Tai Baribo is that dude.

For the second straight week, the Philadelphia Union ran over an Eastern Conference opponent, this time dismantling FC Cincinnati in a 4-1 win at Subaru Park. And once again, it was the Tai Baribo Show.

The 27-year-old Israeli striker recorded his second career hat trick, pushing his season total to five goals through the first two matches of the 2025 MLS campaign.

Tai Baribo is off to a ✨ FLYING START ✨#DOOP pic.twitter.com/2HQbgZYuLX

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) March 2, 2025

Tai Baribo Wastes No Time

Much like last week against Orlando, Baribo wasted zero time making his mark. Just six minutes into the match, Kai Wagner sent a perfectly weighted cross into the box, and Baribo buried it to ignite the River End.

Thirty minutes later, he had another, tapping in a perfect feed from Daniel Gazdag. The goal needed VAR review, but in the end, the ref made the right call: Baribo just keeps scoring goals.

And then, to cap off the night, the inevitable happened—hat trick, 52nd minute. The play started with a through ball from Danley Jean Jacques, Baribo got a touch, tried to dish it to Gazdag, only for Deandre Yedlin to step in. Didn’t matter. Gazdag cleaned it up, dropped it back to Baribo, and boom—goal No. 3.

Absolute masterclass from Philly’s No. 9.

Cincinnati Fights Back, But It’s Too Late

Cincinnati tried to mount some resistance with a goal from Evander in the 58th minute, and nearly had another in the 78th when Kévin Denkey clanked a shot off the crossbar. But Andre Blake and the Union defense held firm, stopping anything else from slipping past them.

And then, just to put an exclamation point on the night, Bruno Damiani—making his club debut—scored in the 90th minute to make it 4-1.

Bradley Carnell’s Union Are Clicking

For new head coach Bradley Carnell, it’s two games, two wins, and eight goals scored. This isn’t some fluke hot start—this Union squad is ruthless in the attack, and defensively sound despite a couple of shaky moments.

They’ll head to New England next weekend to take on the Revolution at Gillette Stadium (March 8, 7:30 PM ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). If Baribo stays red hot, Philly fans might be looking at their next big-time striker.

Two games. Five goals. One statement: Tai Baribo is HIM.

Match Highlights: Philadelphia Union vs FC Cincinnati

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