Two games into the Philadelphia Union season and the Union are on the top of the table with six points to their name and 8 goals in their favor. Much like he did in St. Louis, new head coach Bradley Carnell has the Union flying high to start the season. Tai Baribo brought the party by to Subaru Park last night with a hat trick and newcomer Bruno Damiani scored on his debut thanks to another Quinn Sullivan inch perfect cross. Let’s goooooo!

In the email today:

1. 🎩 Baribo for Three!

A right back staple and two additional newcomers to the Philadelphia Union will be available for Saturday’s home opener at Subaru Park.

Head coach Bradley Carnell said Nathan Harriel has been training “all full go” and will be available for Saturday along with new designated player Bruno Damiani and recent acquisition Indiana Vassilev.

All three players were not in the squad for the season opener in Orlando last Saturday, paving the way for Frankie Westfield to make his MLS debut in place of Harriel. Olwethu Makhanya also made his MLS debut in the starting XI along with offseason acquisition Jovan Lukic.

“He definitely belongs to the available roster this coming weekend,” Carnell said of Harriel, who did not feature in preseason after picking up an injury the first day of training camp. “Bruno is right back from his work visa engagement so he’s back training with us, eligible for the roster as well this coming weekend.”

Carnell will have more decisions to make this week with FC Cincinnati coming to town off a mid-week Concacaf Champions Cup draw on Wednesday at home. FC Cincinnati advanced in the competition with a 5-2 aggregate score over Honduran side FC Motagua.

Will Makhanya get the start again or will Ian Glavinovich – who made his Union debut as a late sub in Orlando – slot in to pair with Jakob Glesnes? Will Westfield get another run or will Olivier Mbaizo get the nod and Harriel be available off the bench? Damiani is likely an early sub off the bench for Carnell along with Vassilev, who figures to be a kind of Swiss Army Knife for his new club.

“He arrived here like he’s been playing with the team for six months already so he’s easy to integrate within a new group and he’s a good player within the philosophy,” Carnell said of Indiana. “And he’s available, ready to go.”

Saturday will of course be Carnell’s first time at Subaru Park as the coach of the home side. One big difference this time around will be his reaction to the team’s goal song: Scooter’s “Maria (I Like it Loud).”

“I always hated the Doop song,” Carnell said. “Now I can’t wait for the Doop.”

2. ⚡️ Structure and intensity bolst Union in home opener win

By Matt McClain

In a match that left fellow Eastern Conference foe FC Cincinnati feeling suffocated for significant stretches, the Philadelphia Union intercepted 21 passes while scoring four goals thanks to a Tai Baribo hat trick and a debutant goal from Bruno Damiani during their 4-1 home opener win Saturday night. The club improved their home opening record to 8-4-4 with the win.

It's worth noting that Cincinnati are currently juggling the start of their MLS season along with what they hope will be a successful run in the Concacaf Champions Cup. That added mental and physical load on former Union assistant coach Pat Noonan's side likely aided Philadelphia  a bit Saturday night, although I'm not sure Noonan would be inclined to make any excuses for their performance.

Cincinnati were forced to build out of the back on the ground thanks to significant wind gusts which created unsavory conditions for both players, fans, and media alike. The inability to rely on long balls in the air greatly impacted their style of play, and Philadelphia took full advantage with their swarming press and high line of confrontation.

That high line at times featured four Union players with Baribo and fellow striker Mikael Uhre leading the way flanked by attacking-minded midfielders Daniel Gazdag and Quinn Sullivan.

Both Uhre and Baribo lead the charge and effectively cut off passing lanes to Cincinnati's midfield options. And perhaps most importantly, Philadelphia now features two defensive midfielders atop the backline creating a second wave of defense. The Danley and Jovan Lukic partnership excelled allowing Philadelphia to play on the front foot from the opening whistle.

"They needed to be everywhere, and they were," said Union Head Coach Bradley Carnell postgame regarding Danley and Lukic. "It’s a tough job for them, but you can see just by being proactive, on the jump, and being ready to forward defend and turn over the ball - I think we put on a really good display in the first half."

Gazdag praised their play as well post-game, crediting their defensive efforts as a catalyst for a few of the transition goals that started the party in Chester on the way to a 4-1 win.

"The key was that we turned them over so many times in their own half," said Gazdag. "They didn’t have enough guys behind the ball because they didn’t expect that we’d turn them over so many times."

When asked what type of comfort and protection the defensive midfield duo provides the team as a whole, Gazdag highlighted their ability to inspire confidence in the team pressing structure.

"Danley and Jovan are doing a great job so far in these two games," said Gazdag. "They cover a lot of distance and they’re always available to pass the ball to them. They gave us confidence as well that we can press and go forward because they are always going to be there behind us. It’s a really good thing and we would like to keep playing like that."

Read More >

3. 👋 Social Post of the Day: Five

4. 💧 Water Cooler: Player Ratings

Weigh in on the individual performances, Bradley Carnell’s game plan, the referee and more in our Player Ratings Poll.

5. 🔗 Link Roundup

• Coatesville native and former pro JT Dorsey was honored on Saturday by U.S. Soccer for his work increasing access to the beautiful game.

• Philadelphia native Nyk Sessock has swapped one rival for another, signing on with Atlanta United 2 for the MLS Next Pro season after spending the past two seasons with Inter Miami II.

• Former Union and Bethlehem Steel forward Cory Burke is joining Lexington SC for their inaugural season in the USL Championship.

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