Baribo’s 2nd-half Brace gives Union a 3-2 Comeback win against reigning MLS Cup Champs

After going into the half-time break down 2-0 in front of their home crowd, an early 2nd half goal from Nate Harriel and a brace from Tai Baribo pushed Union to a 3-2 victory over the LA Galaxy on Wednesday night to improve their record to 8W-2D-3L on the season.

It was just the 2nd time the Union have beaten the LA Galaxy in club history and the first time since 2012. It also marked the first victory for the Union against the Galaxy while playing at home.

Wednesday’s come-from-behind win on a foggy night in Chester marks just the second time in club history that the Philadelphia Union have erased a 2-goal second-half deficit and gone on to win the game. The only other instance came against the Red Bulls back in 2019.

Union’s Starting XI

Despite the Union’s busy schedule in May, Bradley Carnell chose not to overlook a winless Galaxy side on Wednesday night and fielded a strong XI against the reigning Champs at Subaru Park.

Andrew Rick got his third consecutive start in all competitions and the 10th of his MLS career, while Andre Blake still deals with a bit of fluid buildup in his knee.

Jakob Glesnes made his 200th appearance across all competitions for the Union, Quinn Sullivan made his 50th MLS start, and Danley Jean-Jacques made his 20th appearance across all competitions.

Formation: 4-4-4-2

GK: Rick
RB: Westfield, CB: Glesnes, CB: Harriel, LB: Wagner
CDM: Danley, CDM: Lukic
CAM: Q. Sullivan, CAM: Vassilev
ST: Baribo, ST: Damiani

Cuevas gives Galaxy the lead

At about the half-hour mark, loose play from Danley in the midfield led to a quick counter-attack from the Galaxy going the other way. Marco Rues carried the ball from the center line all the way to the top of the penalty area before being confronted by a Union defender and dishing the ball off to 22-year-old Mauricio Cuevas on his right.

Cuevas received the pass near the top of the box and hit it with the inside of his right foot on the first touch, beating Rick to the near post and drawing first blood on the road. It was Cuevas’ first goal of the 2025 season and just the 2nd of his MLS career. Marco Rues gets credited with the assists on the play, his 2nd of the season.

Fagúndez Doubles Galaxy’s Lead

Just 6 minutes after Cuevas gave the Galaxy the lead in Chester, it was Diego Fagúndez who doubled LA’s advantage and stunned the Subaru Park crowd heading towards half-time.

A 50-50 ball near Union’s 18-yard box was knocked down to Marco Rues, standing right at the top of the penalty area. Rues cocked his right leg back like he was about to unload on a half-volley, but instead laid the ball off to his left for Diego Fagúndez who had only Andrew Rick to beat just outside the 6-yard box.

Fagúndez settled the ball with his first touch on his left and stabbed it past Rick with the outside of his right foot on the 2nd, placing it in the corner of the net and giving Galaxy a shocking 2-0 lead.

The goal marked the 75th tally of Diego Fagúndez’ career, making him just the 8th player in MLS history to achieve the 75 goals and 75 assists mark.

Harriel’s Touch Gives Union Hope

Down 2-0 heading into the second half, the Union needed a lifeline to get back into the game, and Bradley Carnell granted his team 10 minutes to find one before making changes to the lineup.

It took the Union just 4 minutes into the second half to find that lifeline, when Jakob Glesnes got on the end of a Kai Wagner corner, which deflected off of Nate Harriel and into the back of the net to bring the Union within 1 and plenty of time to play.

The goal from Nate Harriel was his first of the season and his first since October 5th of last year. Kai Wagner gets credited for the secondary assist on the play, his 63rd goal contribution as a member of the Union, the 3rd most in club history.

Baribo’s 9th Brings Union Level

Right at the 50th minute mark – well within the 10-minute grace period set by Bradley Carnell heading into the 2nd half – Tai Baribo drew the game level with his 9th goal of the MLS Season and Union’s 2nd goal in as many minutes.

Along the left side of the pitch, Indiana Vassilev laid the ball off to Danley Jean-Jacques, who was looking to make his way down the flank. Danley collected the ball in stride and played an early cross into the middle of the penalty area for Tai Baribo, who peeled away from his defender, got a firm header on the ball, and beat McCarthy to his near post to tie the game at 2.

The game-tying assist from Danley was his 3rd of the season, and extends his goal contribution streak to 5 consecutive games.

Baribo Scores Stoppage Time Winner

If the Union didn’t win this game, it wouldn’t be for a lack of chances. They took 22 total shots and put 9 on target throughout the game, but they struggled to find the final breakthrough.

In the 96th minute of the match, Ale Bedoya headed a ball into the penalty area, which Mikael Uhre did well to settle and keep control of. With a defender between him and the net, Uhre drifted towards the end line, scooped an alley-op type pass into the middle of the 6-yard box, and put it in a perfect spot for Tai Baribo to head into the back of the net for the game-winner.

The stoppage-time winner from Baribo was his league-leading 10th goal of the season, and his 26th goal in his last 35 games with the Union. With that, Baribo is the fastest player in club history to reach 10 goals in a season, and is just the 5th player in team history to have three multi-goal games in a single season.

Up Next For the U

The come-from-behind win on Wednesday night improves Union’s record to 8W-2D-3L on the season for a total of 26 points. This is good enough to have them in second place in the Eastern Conference and 2 points off the Supporters Shield lead heading into the weekend, though they do have a game in hand on a number of teams around them in the standings.

Philly will now travel down South to take on Atlanta United this weekend for the second time in a month. In their last meeting, the Union took care of Atlanta at home with a dominant 3-0 win, with goals from Quinn Sullivan, Danley Jean-Jacques, and Tai Baribo.

Since then, Philadelphia has had 3 wins and a draw in MLS play, while Atlanta has had 2 draws and 2 losses and hasn’t seen the win column since March 29th.