WASHINGTON, D.C. — With the MLS regular season kicking off in full force on Saturday with several highly anticipated matchups, it seemed only fitting that the Philadelphia Union would travel south on I-95 to take on longtime Eastern Conference foe D.C. United and former Union leading scorer Tai Baribo, in an opening-night showdown.

But after what many will consider a frustrating 90 minutes of soccer that saw Philadelphia struggle early to find any offensive rhythm, a costly turnover ultimately sank the Union 1-0 on opening night of the MLS regular season.

“We knew DC is going to be up for the game,” said Union Head Coach Bradley Carnell post match. “So credit to René (Weiler) and the team for preparing them in the best way possible. I thought to start of the game, we’re a little bit reactive, instead of being proactive. And they got the upper hand, and then get the goal, and then we’re chasing, and instead of being on the front foot.”

The only switches from Wednesday’s lineup, besides Andre Blake and Japhet Sery Larsen, were Bruno Damiani and Indiana Vassilev. Ezekiel Alladoh and Japhet Sery Larsen made their MLS debuts, sporting the now-traditional MLS Debut patches.

Frankie Westfield was scheduled to start at left back and was seen warming up, but Finn Sundstrom instead became the third debutant of the evening for Philadelphia.

“Unfortunately, Frankie, in the warm up, didn’t feel 100% confident, and I thought it was very mature of him to pull himself out of harm’s way for a longer period of time,” said Carnell about the decision. “We thought that Finn could come in and do a job, and I thought he did a really good job.”

Geiner Martinez entered for Sundstrom in the second half after the young defender suffered something with his ankle, according to Carnell.

In total, along with Sundstrom, Martinez, Alladoh, Sery Larsen, Agustin Anello, and Stas Korzenouski, a total of six players made their MLS debut on the evening.

The story of the night, however, was former Union striker Tai Baribo. Baribo, who started the match, thought he had opened the scoring in the 10th minute on a cross from Keisuke Kurokawa; however, the assistant referee ruled the left back offside, negating the goal.

That decision would not hold Baribo or his team back for long. D.C. United struck first in the 23rd minute when Baribo found the back of the net against his former club off an assist from João Peglow, a play that began with an Indiana Vassilev turnover in midfield.

The Israeli striker nearly added another late in the first half, beating Sundstrom, who, while playing out of position, struggled for much of the opening half after being inserted. Tai would unload a shot that deflected off the post before being cleared by Philadelphia as both teams headed into halftime.

In total, while both teams tallied just three shots apiece, the Union struggled with only one of their three shots coming inside the box in the first half and only five touches in United’s opposing box in the first 45 minutes.

On the team’s assessment in the first 45 minutes, forward Bruno Damiani had this to add.

“Mostly we were always playing through the right side, and they realized really quick. So they ring the jump every time the ball went that side. So we we create a very predictable attacking I think that was our mistake.”

“Everyone was mad,” said Olwethu Makhanya when asked about the mood and message during halftime. “We felt as if we were not, you know, giving enough effort. So we just had to remind each other to stick to the principles. And we felt as if, in the first half, they’re outworking us. So messaging their workroom was just to guard them and try to outwork them.”

The Union fared somewhat better in the second half statistically, putting together nine shots and one big chance while generating 13 tackles and nine interceptions as they tried to find a way to level the match at one goal each.

Unfortunately for the Union, things worsened when Ezekiel Alladoh received a straight red card following a challenge along the touchline.

While there appeared to be confusion surrounding the decision, Union head coach Bradley Carnell later shared his understanding of the call.

“There were some verbal ‘pleasantries’ exchanged. You know, I’ve been in games,” said Bradley. “There’s a lot of chatter and banter between everybody. I’m not sure what extent. We will do our investigation and have a look.”

Despite being down a man for the remainder of the match, Philadelphia continued to push for an equalizer as the game opened up more in the second half.

“I did think we had momentum (in the second half)”, said Carnell. “I did think we pushed the game even the man down. So I’m proud of the boys for that, and we won’t get too low on this result, but we you know for sure, we understand what teams are expecting against us and how they’re going to play against us, and that’s something for us to be tuned into and dialed into from the very get go.”

Cavan Sullivan, who subbed on for Iloski, provided a spark in the 71st minute with a corner sent toward the far post that allowed Nathan Harriel to get his head on the ball, only to see it hit the outside of the net.

“I think he has everything what he needs to have success,” said Damiani on Sullivan’s performance. “And I would say it’s not the first game, he shows that when he does the things that he needs to do. For example, this time, he played the one on one in the moment he needed. He played easy with the ball when he needed. He put an amazing ball in the last minute, and then last cross, it was a perfect ball.”

Alejandro Bedoya, who entered for Vassilev, nearly delivered a late equalizer when he won a contested ball in the defensive box and flicked it forward toward a driving Agustín Anello, whose outstretched foot couldn’t reach it before Sean Johnson secured possession.

In the dying moments, Philadelphia earned one final chance as Cavan Sullivan lined up for a free kick outside the 18-yard box. The young midfielder delivered a dangerous cross, but Olwethu Makhanya and Danley Jean Jacques could not convert as the ball rolled away and the final whistle sounded.

The win marked D.C. United’s first three-point result against the Union since 2021 and handed Philadelphia its first MLS season-opening loss since a 1-0 defeat to FC Dallas in 2020.

Even in defeat, the defensive pairing of Japhet Sery Larsen and Olwethu Makhanya showed promising signs for the future as the two continue to build chemistry together.

“I think there’s a flexibility and a versatility of what we’re trying to do,” said Carnell. “And then there’s the individual characteristics of the players themselves. And you can see Jeff is very aggressive to forward, defend, he’s very strong in a tackle, and he’s very brave. And he’s very good with the ball, with line breaking passes as well. I still don’t think we are where we want to be, and I think that’s just a matter of days, a matter of time.”

“I think Makanya is a brilliant player, ” said Sery Larson of his teammate.
“He has some really good qualities, and his potential is enormous. So it’s been a pleasure working for him, with him. Think every day we’re progressing, getting to know each other better and better.So take time and but I think we our say relationships greater, the built day to day, and we’ll keep working on that.”

Philadelphia will now look to regroup with two matches over the next seven days. First, the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup opening round against Defence Force on Thursday at 7 p.m., followed by a Sunday matchup at 4:30 p.m. against NYCFC, with both games set for Subaru Park.

Main article photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Union