The Union finished in fourth place and, although the team had undergone a number of personnel changes prior to their Leagues Cup appearance (Andre Blake’s recovery from injury and the return of several key players from international duty), their current form is in part down to a standout performance from Baribo, who has made his name as a goalscorer in dominant fashion.

The 26-year-old Israeli scored his first two goals for Union on June 19 away against FC Cincinnati and has since taken his total to 13 goals in 13 games. That number includes four braces, a hat-trick and two one-goal games.

His seven goals in the Leagues Cup put him at the top of the list, ahead of LAFC’s Denis Bouanga and Columbus Crew’s Diego Rossi, who both appeared in the Leagues Cup final and scored six goals each.

“It means a lot to me because as a striker you always want to be one of the top scorers, you know? We always want to be at the top. But we lost and now it’s just about the team and the win,” said Baribo.

He is pleased with his performance of late, but after Sunday’s third-place match against Colorado Rapids, Baribo stressed his hard work does not end there. Philadelphia Union’s Major League Soccer play continues on Wednesday night against Columbus Crew, and Baribo is determined to maintain his form and help the team climb up the table in the final stretch of the regular season.

“I have to keep working hard and keep fighting for my place in the starting lineup. It’s not easy. We have a lot of good players. Sam (Adeniran), Mikael (Uhre), Quinn (Sullivan). But as a team we have to keep our heads up after today’s loss and prepare for the game against Columbus,” said Baribo.

“We’ve had difficult situations this season. But again, it’s our job to win. That’s our job as football players. We have some difficult moments, but we have to keep our heads up, we have to work hard and again, we have to win every game in our building. Of course, Columbus is a very good team. Everyone knows that, but we are in our building and we need the points.”

With nine regular season games remaining, Philadelphia Union’s quest for the playoffs continues Wednesday night against the reigning MLS Cup champions and recent Leagues Cup winners. Click here for tickets!