CHESTER — On a blustery night in Chester, the Philadelphia Union treated the sold-out crowd at Subaru Park to a four-goal performance and three points in the standing, capped off by Tai Baribo recording his second career hat trick in the Union’s 4-1 victory over FC Cincinnati.

“So very happy with the way we started the game, very aggressive on the front foot,” Union head coach Bradley Carnell said in his post-match press conference. “We wanted to carry on from where we left off last week and just show the fans and excite the crowd here with what we’ve been trying to craft over the last couple of weeks. We’re on our way to creating a signature, an identity of hunger on both sides of the ball, and I think we could see that on display for many moments tonight.”

Walking into Subaru Park, the energy was high and the vibes were positive. The Sons of Ben lot was lively with fans excited for the match ahead, music playing loudly, and Union Yards packed with patrons trying to stay warm from the wind. You could tell there was excitement in the air for the night ahead.

When the starting lineup was announced, there were no changes from the squad’s 4-2 victory over Orlando City. Notable additions included the Union’s two newest acquisitions, Bruno Damiani and Indiana Vassilev, both of whom were on the bench. A surprising omission was Nathan Harriel, who trained during the week and whom Carnell said should have been available. That gave Frankie Westfield his second consecutive start, as did Olwethu Makhanya, who partnered with Jakob Glesnes in the back line to take on the challenge of Cincinnati forward Kevin Denkey.

Before kickoff, the Union had a touching moment as the family of Holden Trent was joined by Harriel and Philadelphia goalkeeper coach Phil Wheddon for a moment of silence, with the number 13 painted on the touchline by the club’s bench.

With the match underway, both squads spent the first few moments feeling each other out back and forth on the pitch. Then, just like last October, the Union struck first. A ball chested by Kai Wagner led to some wonderful buildup play by Sullivan and Uhre, dumped off to Wagner, who crossed it into the box, and then connected with Tai Baribo’s leg for his third goal of the season.

As the supporters’ chants echoed throughout the stadium, both teams traded opportunities back and forth as Cincinnati tried to find Denkey in the box while Sullivan’s breakaways down the left side caused problems for the visitors. However, as one of the best clubs in MLS, Cincinnati found some life when Evander sent a beautiful free kick into the box that squeaked through the back line, forcing goalkeeper Andre Blake to make a last-moment save.

Moments later, the Union almost had another as Baribo scored off a turnover forced by Daniel Gazdag. However, the goal was initially ruled offside by head referee Allen Chapman. After a VAR check, the goal was awarded, giving Baribo a brace 30 minutes into the match. That was followed by another scoring opportunity for Baribo, but his hat trick was denied by the offside flag. As the first half progressed, it was evident the Union were keeping Cincinnati on their heels with scoring opportunities.

“The transitional game model is our DNA, and when we get it right, we show a lot of fluidity, a lot of connections, a lot of synchronizations with the ball,” Carnell said. “Credit to the boys. They’re taking this very seriously. They have hunger, passion, and desire, and they’re chasing the game from the very beginning.”

That hunger showed as the teams headed to halftime. Outside of a few moments of hope for Cincinnati, they were shut down and held to just one shot in the entire half. The Union dominated the midfield despite Cincinnati controlling 53% of possession.

As the second half began, the Union continued their assault. In the 53rd minute, a deflection was controlled by Gazdag, who immediately passed to a wide-open Baribo, who finished the play, completing his hat trick and giving the Union a three-goal lead. Baribo now has seven goals on the season.

“I think we see his prowess in front of goal in terms of poaching, striking, and finishing,” Carnell said. “But maybe what you don’t see is his work against the ball. Our strikers defend from the front; they’re our first defenders. Both Mikael and Tai were excellent tonight. You could see their hunter-like mentality from the very beginning, making it difficult for [Cincinnati] to progress the ball.”

Gazdag, who assisted on the play, shared his thoughts.

“He (Tai) tried to play the ball to me, but the defender touched it. I saw that it wasn’t a good touch from the defender, so I was able to recover the ball. I saw the defenders expecting me to pass it back to Quinn or someone in the second line, but I saw Tai was completely open at the far post, so I played it to him, and he finished.”

However, that lead was briefly challenged after a massive substitution by FC Cincinnati. Evander, on only the club’s second shot, put them on the board with a strike from outside the 18-yard box, silencing the Subaru Park crowd.

The Union didn’t let up, though. After Mikael Uhre was called offside on a break and Sullivan had a chance in the box, Union fans were treated to the debut of the club’s record signing, Bruno Damiani, who entered in the 69th minute for Uhre.

Damiani looked promising, making a nice turnover in midfield which led to an attack, though he seemed to still be adjusting to his teammates and the system. Still, his talent is evident.

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Cincinnati nearly scored a second in a sequence that had to be seen to be believed. Blake mishandled a save, leading to Denkey’s only real scoring opportunity of the night, which rattled off the crossbar.

Carnell praised the club’s defensive effort, particularly Makhanya’s role in keeping Denkey in check.

“The staff has done an incredible job preparing the players. Credit to the players for taking on the information and executing it against really dangerous, tricky players.”

As the clock wound down, the Union continued to control the midfield, largely due to the teamwork of Danley Jean Jacques and Jovan Lukic. Lukic, in particular, was a presence, sparking many Philadelphia attacks and earning praise from Carnell.

“Just the connections between them, the strikers, the No. 10s, and the center backs—they have to be everywhere. And they were. It’s a tough job, but by being proactive and ready to defend forward, we turned over the ball and put on a great display in the first half. We managed it in the second half.”

As the match neared its conclusion, the Union launched one last attack. A wonderful cross from Sullivan found Damiani crashing into the box, where he slotted it past Celentano, making it 4-1 and sending Union fans home happy with another three points.

“I’m just very grateful and thankful for everybody’s attendance. We want to keep building this together. It’s not just us—it’s everybody rowing in the same direction, and that’s important for us as a group to acknowledge.”

It is worth noting that the Union have now scored eight goals in their first two matches, surpassing their previous record for most goals scored in the first two games of a season.

The Union return to action next week as they head to Foxborough, Massachusetts, to face the New England Revolution on Saturday, March 8, at 7:30 p.m. That match will be available on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Make sure to check out Todd Lewis of The Free Kick Podcast and myself who filled in for Dave, Mike, and Jose on Across The Pitch’s post game show as we gave are thoughts following last night’s victory.

Main Article Photo Credit: Philadelphia Union