Match Thoughts: Philadelphia Union 4, FC Cincinnati 1

Tai Baribo powered the Union with a hat-trick. The team is developing an identity under first-year head coach Bradley Carnell.

CHESTER — There aren’t a ton of “What If” moments in Philadelphia Union history.

One of the biggest ones involves Saturday night’s hat-trick hero Tai Baribo.

What if former Union manager Jim Curtin played the Israeli forward more from the start of the 2024 season.

Would Curtin still have a job? Would the 2025 offseason resulted in a slew of reinforcements? Would the Union’s stagnation from 2024 ever even come to life?

Hindsight is obviously 20/20 and what we do know is Baribo is one of the biggest difference-makers within the current squad.

Baribo has five of the Union’s eight goals through two games, and since I know you’re all having this conversation, the Union might be back. It’s still early, but it’s easy for the fan base to have those feelings after how 2024 ended.

“Last season we believed in ourselves. Jim was a good coach. They decided to change. It’s their decision,” Baribo said. “We have adapted to Bradley’s philosophy and his philosophy is to press a little bit higher up the field and a little bit harder from everybody. You see that if someone is losing the ball, no one is putting their head down, they immediately run to get it back. We are really one unit, fight together and press together. This is the recipe to succeed.”