Philly Leader

Philadelphia Union began their home schedule with a 4-1 victory over FC Cincinnati on Saturday night. This match marked Head Coach Bradley Carnell's first home game leading the team.

"Thanks to all the supporters in the sell-out crowd at Subaru Park. Very happy with the way we started the game, very aggressive on the front foot. We wanted to carry on from where we left off last week and to show the fans and excite the crowd here of what we've been trying to craft over the last couple of weeks," Carnell stated.

He added, "We're on our way to creating a signature, an identity of hunger both sides of the ball, and I think we could see that on display for many moments tonight."

The win also gave Philadelphia Union their first back-to-back wins to start a season since 2011. Bruno Damiani scored his first goal for Union in stoppage time, expressing his satisfaction: "It's what I was looking for, I'm very happy. It's just the beginning."

Two players made their debuts for Union during this match—Indiana Vassilev and Bruno Damiani were subbed in by Carnell.

Tai Baribo had an impressive performance with three goals, becoming only the fourth player in MLS history to score five goals in his first two games of a season. This match was also Baribo's seventh multi-goal game across all competitions.

Quinn Sullivan and Kai Wagner lead MLS in assists after two games, each tallying three alongside Vancouver Whitecaps' Jayden Nelson.

The final score tied Philadelphia Union's record for most goals scored in a home opener set previously against Columbus Crew in 2023.

Baribo became the fifth player in league history—and first for Union—to score multiple goals in each of his first two games of a season. Five players—Vassilev, Westfield, Makhanya, Damiani, Lukic—played their first game for Philadelphia Union’s first team at Subaru Park.

With eight goals so far this season, Philadelphia Union leads MLS scoring charts and has surpassed its previous record for most goals scored within two opening games.

Defender Jakob Glesnes celebrated his 150th career MLS start with this match—a milestone achieved by few within club history.