The Philadelphia Union ended a frustrating 10-match winless streak in style, crushing the New England Revolution 5-1 on Wednesday night. The victory was fueled by a historic performance from young Cavan Sullivan, who became the youngest player to appear in an MLS match at just 14 years and 293 days old. He replaced Tai Baribo in the 85th minute, surpassing the previous record set by Freddy Adu in 2004.
Baribo was a star in his own right, netting a hat-trick in the match. He opened the scoring in the 29th minute with a header, assisted by Jack Elliott and Kai Wagner. Jakob Glesnes doubled the lead in the 39th minute, also assisted by Wagner. Baribo then added his second goal just five minutes later, making it 3-0 at halftime.
The Revolution briefly pulled one back in the 50th minute through Ian Harkes, but Baribo completed his hat-trick two minutes later with his seventh goal in seven starts this season. Quinn Sullivan added a fifth goal for the Union in the 84th minute, capping off a dominant performance.
Wagner was instrumental in the Union’s victory, providing three assists for the night, while Glesnes added two assists to his goal. Andre Blake, back from a meniscus injury, made his fifth start of the season for the Union, while Aljaz Ivacic made three saves for the Revolution.
The win was just the second for the Union in their last 18 matches, with their previous victory coming against the Revolution. The Revolution now face FC Dallas on Saturday, while the Union host Nashville SC.
