Philadelphia Union is moving on in Leagues Cup after defeating CF Montreal for the first time this year.
26-year-old striker Tai Baribo sealed the deal with two goals in the Friday night matchup, sending his team to the Round of 16. After the final whistle, fans, staff, and players alike gathered to watch as the video board in Subaru Park projected the high-stakes penalty kick shootout between Cincinnati and Santos Laguna.
It ultimately finished in favor of Philadelphia Union's Eastern Conference foes, and with the results, Head Coach Jim Curtin's squad will travel back to the place where the tide began to turn for Baribo early this summer.
The last time the team traveled to TQL Stadium was for a June 16th matchup, and at that point, Tai Baribo hadn’t found the back of the net once since signing with Philadelphia in August 2023.
By the time the team boarded the plane for their return home, however, he’d scored two, keeping the game competitive with a pair of equalizers in the seven-goal thriller that ended in an eventual 4-3 loss. The disappointing scoreline aside, his performance that night spurred a stunning summer for him personally, and since then, his goal total has jumped from none to nine in less than two months' time.
“I was waiting for my chance, and I'm happy that I took it, but now the most important thing is that we continue to win,” Baribo said.
“I'm scoring, it's good. But at Cincinnati away, when I scored two goals, we lost. For me, it's okay, but as a soccer player, I want to win. When I score and we win, that is the best feeling. So I'm happy for this tonight, and I hope we will continue to win.
There’s been a rivalry ramping up between the two teams in recent years, especially since Pat Noonan departed his assistant role at the Philadelphia Union for Cincinnati’s manager gig in 2021. Both staffs have persistent praise for each other, but upon first kick, the intensity between their teams is always palpable, and it’s something Baribo has caught onto quickly.
“First of all, I’m learning that there is a battle between both of the clubs,” Baribo said.
“But I think we need to prepare the same. We know who we are. We need to be confident and show what we have shown in the last couple of games. That’s it. We don’t care about the opponents. Cincinnati is a very good team. Everybody knows this, but I think we need to focus on ourselves."
Philadelphia Union and FC Cincinnati will fight for a berth in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals at TQL Stadium on Tuesday night - tune in to watch the action!
