On Saturday night, the Philadelphia Union put on a show, cruising past FC Cincinnati with a commanding 4-1 victory at Subaru Park. The star of the night? None other than Tai Baribo, who decided he wasn’t just going to score—he was going to collect souvenirs, bagging a hat trick in front of the home crowd.
Philadelphia Union—Statement Made
From the jump, Philly was on a mission. In the sixth minute, Kai Wagner whipped in an absolute dime of a cross, and Baribo coolly finished to give the Union an early lead. If you blinked, you probably missed it. 1-0 Union—and they were just getting started.
Fast forward to the 30th minute, and the duo struck again. A deflected pass from Tah Brian Anunga fell right to Dániel Gazdag, who, like a true playmaker, found Baribo making a darting run. One quick strike later, and it was 2-0 Philly.
At this point, Cincinnati looked rattled, struggling to maintain possession and leaving gaps in their backline big enough to drive a truck through.
Baribo Completes the Hat Trick
If there was any doubt about who controlled this match, Baribo erased it in the 52nd minute. In a chaotic scramble inside the box, the ball bounced around like a pinball before Gazdag found Baribo yet again. And just like that, the hat trick was secured.
How many goals Tai has scored in '25: ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) March 2, 2025
How many games Tai has played in '25: ⚽️⚽️
Watch on #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/rY2Lszf2Zk #DOOP | 🐍 3-0 🦁 (now 3-1) pic.twitter.com/2L1B047GF8
FC Cincinnati—A Tough Night, but a Flash of Brilliance
Now, let’s give Cincinnati some credit. Down 3-0 on the road, it would’ve been easy to fold, but they had one bright spot in the 58th minute thanks to Evander. The newcomer took matters into his own hands, intercepting a sloppy pass, dancing past two defenders, and unleashing a left-footed rocket into the bottom corner. That’s how you introduce yourself to the league. 3-1.
Evander gets one back. 👏 pic.twitter.com/lgBBgGVSAv
— FC Cincinnati (@fccincinnati) March 2, 2025
Union Slam the Door Shut
But if Cincinnati had any hopes of clawing their way back, Philly quickly shut them down. In stoppage time, Bruno Damiani (who had barely been on the pitch) got on the end of a perfect Quinn Sullivan cross and slid it home to make it 4-1 Union. Lights out.
What Did We Learn?
Philly is for real. Their attack is dangerous, their press is suffocating, and if Baribo keeps finishing like this, the rest of the league better be on high alert. Cincinnati needs answers. The defensive lapses were glaring, and while Evander’s goal was a gem, they’ll need more consistency if they want to compete for the top of the East again.
What’s Next?
FC Cincinnati will look to shake this one off when they return home to face Toronto FC on March 8th. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Union will try to keep the momentum rolling when they travel to the New England Revolution on March 8th.
GOALS
PHI – Tai Baribo (Wagner) 6’, Tai Baribo (Gazdag) 30’, Tai Baribo (Gazdag) 52’, Bruno Damiani (Q. Sullivan) 90’+3
CIN – Evander 58’
LINEUPS
CIN: Roman Celentano, Lukas Engel (Kenji Mboma Dem 85’), Teenage Hadebe, Miles Robinson (C), Gilberto Flores (Alvas Powell 70’), DeAndre Yedlin (Bret Halsey 58’), Tah Brian Anunga (Pavel Bucha 58’), Obinna Nwobodo, Yuya Kubo (Corey Baird 58’), Evander, Kévin Denkey
Substitutes not used: Evan Louro, Stefan Chirila, Peter Mangione
PHI: Andre Blake (C), Jakob Glesnes, Kai Wagner, Olwethu Makhanya, Francis Westfield, Dániel Gazdag (Indiana Vassilev 82’), Jovan Lukic (Jesús Bueno 89’), Danley Jean Jacques, Quinn Sullivan, Mikael Uhre (Bruno Damiani 69’), Tai Baribo (Cavan Sullivan 82’)
Substitutes not used: Andrew Rick, Olivier Mbaizo, Chris Donovan, Ian Glavinovich
DISCIPLINARY
CIN – Obinna Nwobodo (Yellow Card) 75’
NEXT MATCH
Concacaf Champions Cup: vs Tigres UANL, 6:30 p.m. ET March 4th; FS2 or ViX (Spanish)
MLS Regular Season: vs Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m. ET March 8th; AppleTV+
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