Tai Baribo looks to heat up again on Saturday as the Philadelphia Union take a two-match winning streak into Houston to face the Dynamo.
Baribo scored his 14th goal of the season in Philadelphia’s 2-1 victory over CF Montreal on Wednesday. He had been kept without a tally in four matches after erupting for six in his previous four contests.
Baribo is three goals shy of Nashville SC star Sam Surridge in the race for the Golden Boot Award and is two behind Lionel Messi of Inter Miami.
Defender Olwethu Makhanya scored his first career MLS goal for the Union (14-5-4, 46 points), who remain one point ahead of FC Cincinnati in the bid for the Supporters’ Shield.
“If you follow the pathway of this system, whether it’s 2018 or 2023 or whether it’s now, I think you can see just the overall contribution of togetherness. Everyone has a role to play,” Philadelphia head coach Bradley Carnell said. “Everyone contributes and you see that with this group.”
The Dynamo (7-11-5, 26 points) have been shut out on back-to-back occasions and fell three points behind ninth-place San Jose in the Western Conference.
“There’s no excuse for how we performed today,” Houston coach Ben Olsen said after his team’s 3-0 setback to the Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday. “And we have a team coming up in Philadelphia that’s going to try and do the same thing Vancouver did today. So it’s up to us to respond.”
Jack McGlynn, who spent the previous four seasons with Philadelphia, was denied in his bid to put the Dynamo on the scoreboard in the 67th minute. Houston mustered just two shots on goal in the entire match.
“It’ll be a fun game, and good to see everyone,” McGlynn said of his upcoming reunion, per the Houston Chronicle. “But once we step on the field, they’ll be just like any other opponent.”
The Union have allowed the fewest goals in the league at 22.
–Field Level Media
