Tai Baribo recorded one goal and one assist to help the Philadelphia Union cruise to an important 5-1 victory over host New York City FC on Wednesday night.
Mikael Uhre and Daniel Gazdag also scored in the first half and Jakob Glesnes and Jesus Bueno added goals in the second half for Union (8-12-9, 33 points).
Philadelphia improved to 5-5-5 on the road and moved into ninth place in the Eastern Conference.
Alonso Martinez scored the goal to cap New York City FC, who are winless in their last eight MLS games (0-3-5). NYCFC (11-11-7, 40 points) dropped to sixth place in the East.
Philadelphia goalkeeper Andrew Rick made seven saves. Rick started the second straight game in place of Andre Blake (groin).
NYCFC’s Matt Freese had two saves.
NYCFC outshot the Union 26-12 and made nine of Philadelphia’s seven shots.
Union scored first in the 15th minute. Baribo flipped his head through Freese’s hands and put it into the net. It was his sixth goal in seven MLS games and eighth of the season.
Ten minutes later, the Union took a 2-0 lead after NYCFC turned the ball over at the end. Baribo passed the ball to Uhre, who fired a right-footed shot into the right corner of the net for his ninth goal of the season.
Philadelphia scored again in the 32nd minute. Baribo sent a headbutt by Freese. Gazdag was there to score his 15th goal of the season.
NYCFC scored in the fifth minute of stoppage time in the first half on a run by Martinez. Kevin O’Toole’s cross was on the line and Martinez struck with his right foot for his 12th goal of the season.
New York had a big chance in the 62nd minute when Keaton Parks got his shot past Rick but it went wide of the left post.
That proved too costly for NYCFC. Philadelphia scored on a corner kick in the 74th minute. Kai Wagner sent a cross in front of the net and Glesnes attacked the New York defenders and headed the ball into the net for 4-1.
Bueno flicked a left foot shot past Freese in the 85th minute. The goal was Bueno’s third of the season.
–Field Level Media