Philly Leader

Tai Baribo scored in stoppage time of both halves to lead Philadelphia Union to a 2-0 victory over CF Montreal in the Leagues Cup Round of 32 on Friday night.

Baribo scored his eighth and ninth goals of the 2024 campaign, sending the Boys in Blue into the Leagues Cup Round of 16 for the second consecutive season. The Union's win, coupled with FC Cincinnati's penalty kick shootout victory, means the Union will face FC Cincinnati on Tuesday, August 13th, at 7:30 PM in Ohio.

The match at Subaru Park was played under damp conditions, similar to their previous encounter at Stade Saputo in Montréal. However, this time Philadelphia Union had all regular contributors available for the first time since April. Other than new signee midfielder Danley Jean Jacques and injured first-year players Isaiah LeFlore and Markus Anderson, the team was at full strength.

Head Coach Jim Curtin fielded a strong lineup with Andre Blake in net. Nate Harriel made his first appearance since returning from the Paris Olympics, reclaiming the right-back spot opposite Kai Wagner. Jakob Glesnes and Jack Elliott were paired at center back. The midfield featured José Martinez, Quinn Sullivan, Leon Flach, and Daniel Gazdag while Tai Baribo and Samuel Adeniran started up top in a 4-4-2 diamond formation.

The game began slowly with Montreal taking the first shot in the ninth minute. Bryce Duke's effort was saved by Blake. The Union responded quickly with several shots testing Jonathan Sirois but failing to convert early chances.

Adeniran found himself in scoring positions multiple times within the opening 25 minutes but was either offside or thwarted by Sirois' saves. Controversy arose when Flach went down in Montreal’s penalty area without earning a penalty kick.

Harriel nearly celebrated his homecoming with a long-range effort that missed just over the net before Baribo capitalized on a rebound from an Adeniran shot to score just before halftime.

Philadelphia sought to extend their lead immediately after halftime but faced stiff resistance from Montreal’s defense and goalkeeper Sirois. Both teams made multiple substitutions around the hour mark as they sought fresh legs for an advantage.

Montreal came close to equalizing through set pieces but failed to capitalize on key opportunities as Philadelphia continued pressing forward despite Mbaizo receiving a yellow card after initially being shown red following a collision with Ibrahim outside their box.

Baribo secured Philadelphia’s advancement by scoring again during stoppage time following an assist from McGlynn who broke through Montreal’s defense with precise passing late into added time sealing their place against FC Cincinnati next week.