The Union delivered another impressive win on Saturday, topping FC Cincinnati 4-1 in their home opener at Subaru Park.
Tai Baribo tallied his second hat trick for the Union (2-0-0, 6 points) scoring in the 5th, 30th, and 52nd minutes. Evander scored for Cincinnati (1-1-0, 3 points) in the 58th, and new Union striker Bruno Damiani capped off the scoring in the 93rd.
Sticking with what works
Bradley Carnell rolled out the same starting lineup he used in the season-opening 4-2 win at Orlando. There was no reason to change a group that played so well, but it stood out that Nathan Harriel wasn’t even on the bench.
Though Carnell had cleared Harriel to play, it turned out the right back wasn’t quite ready yet. So Frankie Westfield started again, and Olivier Mbaizo was on the bench. Centerback Ian Glavinovich did make the bench but Olwethu Makhanya started.
Cincinnati came to town in between two Concacaf Champions Cup series, a win over Honduras’ Motagua and an upcoming round of 16 matchup with Mexican powerhouse Tigres. That was a reason to rest some of the club’s attacking stars if manager Pat Noonan wanted to.
But given the rivalry between Cincinnati and the Union – with roots in Noonan and Chris Albright previously working in Chester – the visitors didn’t hold back. Striker Kévin Denkey and attacking midfielder Evander, worth a combined $28.2 million in transfer fees, both started in the team’s usual 5-3-2 setup.
Given all that, it felt fitting when the Subaru Park public address staff played Kendrick Lamar’s “They Not Like Us” at the end of the first half. The score at the time also made it easier to have some fun.
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Baribo on fire
Though the Union scored eight goals in three games against Cincinnati last year, in the bigger picture the attack hasn’t always done well against that 5-3-2. You wouldn’t have known if all you saw was this game, though, as the Union charged down the field almost from the start.
After Kai Wagner intercepted a clearance by Cincinnati centerback Teenage Hadebe, Quinn Sullivan, Wagner, and Mikael Uhre teamed up for a nice little passing combination on the left wing. As Wagner ran forward on the flank, Baribo dashed up the middle between Hadebe and U.S. national team veteran Miles Robinson, and met Wagner’s cross with a first-time finish past Roman Celentano.
Baribo’s second wasn’t as pretty, because it started with Cincinnati’s Brian Anunga misplaying an attempted interception of a Wagner pass. Dániel Gazdag jumped on the loose ball and passed it to an open Baribo for the finish, only to see the offside flag go up.
Gazdag was indeed in an offside position, but there’s no infraction when the ball comes off an opposing defender. The video review officials invited Allen Champan to the replay monitor, and he quickly gave the goal.
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Baribo completed his hat trick on a breakaway. He fed Gazdag for a shot that was blocked on the line, Gazdag got the ball back, and returned it to Baribo for the finish.
The Israeli striker became the third player with multiple hat tricks in Union history. The previous two were Julián Carranza, Baribo’s predecessor in the No. 9 jersey, and Gazdag.
Damiani debuts
New striker Bruno Damiani took the field for the first time in Union colors, subbing in for Uhre in the 69th minute. His first touch nearly produced a goal, as he redirected a Jovan Lukić shot that Celentano dove low to save.
Damiani’s second shot did go in. The play started with Danley Jean Jacques intercepting an Obinna Nwodo pass in the center of midfield, and feeding Sullivan on the right. He dashed down the flank, crossed for Damiani, and the Uruguayan hustled to slide for the finish.
Cavan Sullivan and another newcomer, Indiana Vassilev, entered in the 82nd minute for Baribo and Gazdag. That switched the Union’s formation to a 4-2-3-1. Sullivan lined up on the left of the three, and Vassilev in the middle.
Jesús Bueno was the Union’s last entrant of the night, replacing Lukić in the 89th.
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Extras
Fans might have noticed that the dimensions of the playing surface are smaller this year than they were before. Sources confirmed that the boundaries were brought in by two yards or so on each of the four sides, and it was the coaching staff’s desire – not because of the new fancy endline seats.
Remnants of the old boundaries were still easily visible, from upstairs and field level. And most of those fancy seats weren’t filled, for the record.
With usual radio play-by-play announcer Dave Leno away for another assignment, former longtime TV voice JP Dellacamera came back to town to call Saturday’s game on the radio. The Union took the opportunity to name the main TV broadcast booth in his honor, mounting a plaque outside the door. A tribute aired on the video board at halftime, and Apple’s broadcast gave its own tribute at the start of the second half.
Fittingly, one of Apple’s broadcasters in that booth on Saturday was someone who has known Dellacamera for many years. Color analyst Lori Lindsey, a Philadelphia resident, played in many U.S. national team games that Dellacamera called for various networks. She also works with him these days on CBS Sports’ NWSL broadcasts.
Before kickoff, the Union held a moment of silence for late former goalkeeper Holden Trent, since this was the team’s first home game since his passing last October. His mother Annie B. Trent and sister Liza McGowan were on the field for the ceremony.
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