Tai Baribo Hat Trick Rescues D.C. United in Wild 4-4 Draw at Red Bull New York

HARRISON, N.J. — Red Bull New York led 2-0, 3-1 and 4-3 on Wednesday night, and still could not hold on. Tai Baribo made sure of that. The D.C. United striker scored his first hat trick for the club, the last of his goals a close-range redirect of a Silvan Hefti cross in the 80th minute, and the visitors left Sports Illustrated Stadium with a 4-4 draw in one of the wildest Atlantic Cup meetings in recent memory.

The home side got two goals from Jorge Ruvalcaba, one from 18-year-old Julian Hall and one from Ronald Donkor, and still finished the night with a single point. D.C. United, which had gone four straight league matches without scoring before kickoff, according to the supporters' site Screaming Eagles, scored four in a little over 40 minutes of game time.

A Fast Start for the Hosts

D.C. United thought it had the opener in the fifth minute, but João Peglow's finish was ruled out for offside. Red Bull New York made the visitors pay for the near miss. In the 15th minute Donkor set up Hall in the center of the box, and the teenager finished for his sixth MLS goal of the season, as OnNJ Sports noted.

Six minutes later it was 2-0. Donkor scored from close range for his first goal of the regular season, redirecting a deflected ball that fell to his feet in front of goal, according to the Associated Press. At that point the match looked like it was heading toward a comfortable home win.

It was not. In the 37th minute D.C. broke quickly, Jackson Hopkins found Baribo in the center of the box, and the Israeli forward pulled one back. Michael Bradley's side went into halftime ahead 2-1, but the momentum had already started to shift.

Ruvalcaba Strikes, Baribo Answers

The second half was where the match came apart at both ends. Ruvalcaba restored the two-goal cushion in the 52nd minute, finishing from a tight angle on the left after a setup from Emil Forsberg. The lead lasted two minutes. Peglow slipped a through ball to Hopkins, who scored his first goal of the season from the center of the box to make it 3-2.

Five minutes after that, D.C. was level. Peglow again provided the pass, this time on a counterattack, and Baribo finished from the left side of the box in the 59th minute for 3-3. Peglow finished the night with two assists, according to D.C. United's postgame notes.

Red Bull New York went back in front in the 71st minute when Ruvalcaba struck from outside the box, with Donkor credited with the assist on D.C. United's match recap. It was Ruvalcaba's second goal of the night, and once again it looked like it might be enough.

The Equalizer, and Two Goals That Didn't Count

The final equalizer came in the 80th minute. Silvan Hefti, picking up his first MLS assist, delivered the cross and Baribo redirected it in from close range to complete his hat trick. D.C. United's notes credited Baribo with three goals from five shots in 90 minutes, and the Associated Press noted he became the third MLS player with at least three regular-season hat tricks since the 2024 season, joining Sam Surridge and Denis Bouanga.

There was still time for more drama. Johnson made a save in second-half stoppage time to keep the score tied, and D.C. substitute Jacob Murrell put the ball in the net with the last kick of the game, only for the goal to be disallowed for a foul, per Screaming Eagles. The 4-4 scoreline stood.

By the numbers, it was about as even as an eight-goal game can be. D.C. United's box score had Red Bull New York with 13 shots to D.C.'s 14, and each side put five shots on goal. The teams also split corners at three apiece.

What Bradley and Donkor Said

For the home side, the result felt like a loss. Head coach Michael Bradley did not hide from the defensive problems. "Yeah, at the moment we're giving away too much, so that's for sure," he said, according to OnNJ Sports. "To score four goals, to be up 2-0, 3-1, 4-3 at home, we left points on the board tonight, for sure."

Donkor, who had a goal and two assists, echoed the frustration. "I think we could have just won this game, but it didn't happen," he told OnNJ Sports. "So I think we just have to keep going."

Where It Leaves Both Teams

The draw left Red Bull New York at 3-3-3 with 12 points, coming off what OnNJ Sports described as a brutal loss to CF Montréal. D.C. United moved to 2-4-3 with nine points in the Eastern Conference. The visitors were playing their fourth match in a stretch of five in 15 days, according to Screaming Eagles, and their road record this season moved to 1-2-3.

For René Weiler's side, the point came with real encouragement. An attack that had been shut out in four straight league matches suddenly produced four goals, and Baribo, Hopkins and Peglow combined on three of them. For Red Bull New York, the attacking output was the bright spot and the defending was the problem, a theme Bradley pointed to after the final whistle.

Neither team had long to dwell on it. Red Bull New York was set to visit FC Cincinnati on Saturday, while D.C. United was scheduled to host Orlando City SC at Audi Field on Saturday, April 25.

Photo Credit: Dylan Aguilar/Undrafted