Tai Baribo scored his MLS-leading sixth goal and the Philadelphia Union continued their perfect start under first-year coach Bradley Carnell with 2-0 victory over the New England Revolution in Foxborough, Mass., on Saturday night.
Baribo’s 76th-minute header of Kai Wagner’s pass tied an MLS record for most goals scored in the first three matches of the regular season.
It followed the Israeli international’s hat trick in a 4-1 home win over FC Cincinnati last weekend, and a brace in a 4-2 victory at Orlando City on opening weekend.
Jovan Lukic added his first MLS goal deep into second-half stoppage time on a ferociously struck, one-time effort from the edge of the penalty area that pinged off the inside of the left post as it sailed in.
Andre Blake made one save to preserve his first clean sheet of the season for Philadelphia (3-0-0, 9 points) and become the latest goalkeeper to shut out New England (0-2-1, 1 point), which is still searching for its first goal.
The Revolution’s attacking woes deepened 10 minutes into the match when striker Leonardo Campana, arguably the club’s highest-profile offseason addition, departed with an injury.
The result of his exit was an uneventful first half before the Union gradually turned up the pressure after the break.
Wagner was the source of Philadelphia’s first close call in the 51st minute, when a deep free kick struck from a similar position as his later assist forced goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic into a retreating save, assisted by a deflection off the crossbar.
Then Baribo thought he’d put the Union in front nine minutes later when he showed up to steer in a loose ball following a goalmouth scramble, only for the sequence to be ruled offside.
For New England, Campana’s replacement Maxi Urruti forced Blake into his only stop with a well-struck effort from about 24 yards in the 69th minute.
But seven minutes later the visitors had their advantage.
After Wagner’s initial corner kick was cleared from the penalty area, the ball cycled back to him on the right flank. He drove another ball toward the back post, and Baribo outmuscled Ilay Feingold to win the header, sending it bouncing off the turf and then the inside of the left post on its way over Ivacic’s goal line.
–Field Level Media
