Tai Baribo Scored Twice and D.C. United Refused to Die Against the Red Bulls

D.C. United walked out of Harrison, New Jersey with something they desperately needed: a pulse. After limping through five straight games without a win, the squad battled back from down two goals to grab a 4-4 draw against the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday night, with Tai Baribo scoring his third goal of the match in the 80th minute to force the tie.

This wasn't just any comeback. D.C. came into the game sitting dead last in MLS scoring with only four goals all season. Yeah, you read that right. Four. Total. Baribo alone has accounted for six of those eight goals the team has managed to put in the net this year. Jackson Hopkins chipped in a goal and an assist for the visitors, who improved to 2-4-3 with the draw, earning 9 points on the season.

Red Bulls Keep Leaking Goals

New York struck first in the 15th minute when Julian Hall capitalized on a precise setup from Adri Mehmeti and Ronald Donkor. Just six minutes later, Donkor struck again after a deflection off Aaron Herrera, putting the Red Bulls up 2-0. It looked like D.C. was about to get embarrassed. Instead, they woke up.

Baribo answered in the 37th minute on a sliding right-footed shot after Hopkins crossed from the right. New York's Emil Forsberg found Jorge Ruvalcaba sprinting down the left wing in the 52nd minute, and Ruvalcaba's impossible-angle shot put the Red Bulls back up 3-1. But then D.C. exploited what would become New York's fatal flaw: a back line playing too far forward. Joao Peglow won two balls near midfield and the floodgates opened. Hopkins made it 3-2, then Baribo tied it five minutes later in the 59th minute.

A Wild Ending in New Jersey

Ruvalcaba struck again in the 71st minute before Baribo answered once more, this time from just in front of the goal line on a feed from Silvan Hefti, who finished with two assists. In stoppage time, D.C.'s Jacob Murrell thought he had the winner on a transition goal, but a foul call killed the celebration. New York is now 3-3-3 with 12 points, having won only one of its last seven matches and surrendering a brutal 18 goals over their last five games.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.