Carnell Earns First Win as Head Coach behind Tai Baribo’s brace and goals by Daniel Gazdag and Mikael Uhre

Orlando – The Philadelphia Union opened the 2025 MLS regular season with a 4-2 victory over Orlando City SC in what could be called a surprising fashion, giving Bradley Carnell his first win as head coach of the Philadelphia Union.

“We go down, and then we’re chasing a little bit, and we lose our structure. Then coming out in the second half, we corrected one or two things, and all of a sudden, you can change the picture in a million ways. And we did that in transition. We really did exactly what we wanted to do from the beginning of the game. So proud of the boys for showing a little bit of courage and resilience. And, you know, we all said that before the game.”

When the starting lineup was announced, two players who spent time with Union II last year were named to make their first official starts for the first team: Frankie Westfield and Olwethu Makhanya.

“And Frankie has had an excellent year, I would say, and he’s put himself in the window and has utilized his chance. And, you know, through one man’s misfortune with Nate, all of a sudden, Frankie has the opportunity and does really well. It’s similar with Olwethu Makhanya, you know, with Ian picking up an injury in preseason as well. So he was, for us, timely enough available, but not 90 minutes fit. And it was great to have him back with the group. You know, he’s a real quality player, and it was great to see Olwethu out there playing the way we want to play. So, you know, it was a great challenge for him.”

As the match began, the Union’s pressing was evident as they brought the attack to Orlando, who, to their credit, were able to counter at times, create early turnovers, and even produce an early scoring chance, which Andre Blake saved.

In the 8th minute, Orlando City opened the scoring with a nice midfield transition. Kai Wagner got caught too high on the left side, allowing newly acquired forward Marco Pašalić to make a nice run into the box past Olwethu Makhanya and beat Blake to make it 1-0 early in the match.

However, the Union continued to press on and didn’t allow the early goal to affect their gritty mentality. In the 17th minute, Frankie Westfield went down after a collision but was fine and continued to play. More on him in a bit. In the 24th minute, the Union responded when Tai Baribo scored the first goal for Philadelphia in 2025 on a great ball that started with Quinn Sullivan’s run. Wagner finished it off with a pass into the box.

For Baribo, that was his first goal since Sept. 22 of last year, which reignited the squad for the rest of the half. Andre Blake and Danley made two big saves that could have put them down 2-1 as both teams headed to the locker room.

Whatever was said in the locker room during the break must have lit a fire under the Union players because the club came out of the locker room pressing as if it were the first half. That led to chances and, eventually, three goals in a 16-minute span.

“We go down, and then we’re chasing a little bit, and we lose our structure. Then coming out in the second half, we corrected one or two things, and all of a sudden, you can change the picture in a million ways. And we did that in transition. We really did exactly what we wanted to do from the beginning of the game. So proud of the boys for showing a little bit of courage and resilience. And, you know, we all said that before the game.”

Daniel Gazdag, who hadn’t scored since Sept. 22 as well, scored on a wonderful assist from Quinn Sullivan and Wagner to give the Union a 2-1 lead. Moments later, the Union’s press caused a Rodrigo Schlegel turnover, which Mikael Uhre pounced on to put in the net and make it 3-1 Philadelphia in the 51st minute.

And the scoring didn’t stop there. In the 64th minute, Baribo scored again, with an assist from none other than Frankie Westfield, marking his first assist in MLS. On the night, the young right back impressed in his first professional start.

“He’s [Frankie] just showing commitment to the process. He’s committed to the principles. And we always said, if you commit to the principles, this game model will reward you. So I’m happy for Frankie. He gets himself an assist as well. What a memorable day for him and his family.”

Another player who got his first start for the Philadelphia Union was Jovan Lukic, who played the full 90 minutes, registered one shot, and completed 88.1% of his passes. Lukic had some wonderful passes and defensive plays during the match, which Carnell praised after the game.

“First of all, I’m seeing a good person and a great teammate, the way he’s integrated with his teammates, the way he’s won the confidence. And, you know, I think just to belong to a new team, and the willingness to be part of this team, just his character, he’s an overall good dude. And now that portrays onto the field as well. He’s fearless, he’s brave, he’s athletic. He wins a lot of duels. Him and Danley are like workhorses in that holding midfielder role. So, you know, really, really excited about that relationship that these guys are building.”

In the 78th minute, Pašalić scored again for a brace on the night, on a ball in the box that Makhanya could have done a better job at clearing, which brought the game back to 4-2 and got the Orlando City fans—who had been quiet for most of the second half—back into the match.

The remainder of the match saw Andre Blake, who by the way played in his 300th match with the club, make a few nice saves, and the defense locked down to keep the match at a two-goal lead. The Union walked out of Exploria Stadium with a gritty three points on opening night.

“This one’s for Andre. His 300th game for the club, that’s a massive feat for the captain. So, congratulations to him. Really happy with the boys and these three points, and nothing more.”

Next up for Philadelphia: They return home next Saturday night for a showdown with FC Cincinnati, who fittingly ended the Union’s playoff hopes in 2024 when they won 2-1 on Decision Day last October. Carnell and company will look to repay the favor this time and keep the Union off to a strong start to the season. The match will be at 7:30 p.m., and you can watch it on Apple TV if you aren’t attending in person.

Main photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Union. Jillian Almoney contributed to this article.