ORLANDO, Fla. — In an exciting kickoff to the season, Tai Baribo netted two goals, leading the Philadelphia Union to a 4-2 victory against Orlando City on Saturday evening.

The match saw Dániel Gazdag striking an impressive goal just three minutes into the second half. He redirected a precise cross from Quinn Sullivan, placing the ball perfectly into the far corner of the net, giving Philadelphia a pivotal 2-1 lead that they would maintain for the rest of the game.

Andre Blake was a key player for the Union, making six crucial saves throughout the match to thwart Orlando’s offense.

For Orlando City, newcomer Marco Pašali? made an immediate impact, scoring two goals in his debut. He kicked off the scoring frenzy in the eighth minute, marking the fastest goal in the history of an Orlando City debut and surpassing the previous record of 18 minutes set in 2020 by Daryl Pike. He later added his second goal in the 79th minute, tapping the ball in during a chaotic sequence close to the goal.

Baribo’s first goal came from a well-placed low cross by Martín Ojeda from the left side of the penalty area, which Baribo managed to redirect home from close range, equalizing the score at 1-1.

In a dramatic turn of events, Orlando’s defender David Brekalo mishandled a pass, allowing Mikael Uhre to capitalize with a powerful shot from the edge of the box that found the back of the net, increasing Philadelphia’s lead to 3-1 just minutes after they had regained the advantage. Shortly after, Baribo struck again, finishing off an entry from Francis Westfield to extend the Union’s lead to 4-1 in the 64th minute.

Westfield, aged 19, made his debut in Major League Soccer during this match, marking his first appearance in his second season with the Philadelphia squad.

Although Orlando City held 56% possession and managed to outshoot the Union 23-10, including 10 shots on target compared to Philadelphia’s 4, they could not overcome the deficit, resulting in a disappointing start to their season.