Philadelphia Union center forward Tai Baribo is now out of Israel, according to Fox Sports The Gambler’s Joe Tansey. The Israeli striker, who has been stuck in his home country amid the missile attacks between Israel and Iran, would be looking to make his way back to Philadelphia. However, he is set to remain on the sidelines due to a calf injury he sustained in a substitute appearance against FC Dallas.
The Israeli striker hit the ground running in 2025 with an impressive run of form that has seen him find the back of the net on 13 occasions in 16 appearances. So far, he has become one of Bradley Carnell’s most reliable starters, as he leads other MLS forwards, like Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Sam Surridge, Lionel Messi, Christian Benteke and Luis Suarez, on the goal scorers’ list.
However, he made a substitute appearance in the goalless draw against FC Dallas, and rather than score a goal, he got a calf injury. As a result, he wasn’t involved in his national team’s games against Estonia and Slovakia, and had to return to Israel to begin his rehabilitation and to also sort out his green card application at the U.S Embassy.
Unfortunately, while he was in his home nation, Israel and Iran launched a barrage of missile attacks against each other, leading to the closure of Israel’s airspace and Baribo being stuck in Israel.
There was some calmness among the Union fans regarding his safety when videos of him and his family members began circulating the internet and some pictures of him and some members of his national team coaching staff visiting some kids that were affected by the missile attacks at a hospital in Israel.
With Tai Baribo’s exit from Israel, fans of the Philadelphian outfit have one less bug to worry about, as he is now safe from whatever damage could be done by the war between Israel and Iran.
However, the striker is set to miss a few more games, especially the two away fixtures against Chicago and Columbus. Coupled with that, the Union’s attack is further punctured by the absence of Mikael Uhre, who got injured in the same game as Baribo, against FC Dallas.
Should the absence of these two forwards be handled poorly, the next two outings may bring about a huge setback in Union’s run to the Supporters’ Shield.
As for Tai Baribo, he is expected to return against Nashville next month. In his absence, Bradley Carnell would likely deploy Bruno Damiani and Chris Donovan as forwards, expecting them to produce the kind of output that has kept the team atop the Eastern Conference table for the most part of the season.
Mandatory Credit: Caean Couto-Imagn Images
