Photo by Ron Soliman/Philly Soccer Page

Tai Baribo, the Philadelphia Union’s top scoring threat, and the MLS’ leading goal scorer, is reportedly stuck in his home country of Israel amid an escalating war with Iran.

Baribo left the Union on May 31st for international duty, but did not feature in either of Israel’s matches against Estonia or Slovakia (both Israeli wins) due to a lingering calf injury.

PSP’s Blake Zuschnitt noted on June 1st that Baribo was excused from international duty because of the injury, but the striker chose to return to his home country with his family for treatment anyway. Shortly after, Israel launched what it called a “preemptive strike” on Iranian nuclear facilities that kicked off a back-and-forth barrage of missile strikes between the two countries.

Union reporter José Roberto Nuñez shared video Baribo’s wife, Linoy Barlev, shared in her Instagram reels of Baribo and family hunkering down in what appeared to be a storage room in their apartment building amid ongoing missile strikes.

Linoy Barlev, Tai Baribo’s spouse, shared some pictures and videos on social media highlighting their struggles in Israel during this period of unrest.

Hopefully, Tai Baribo, who currently leads the Golden Boot race, returns safely to the United States.#doop #israel
:… pic.twitter.com/AvQY8fKra3

— José Roberto Nuñez (@JoserNunez91) June 16, 2025

Baribo has also been photographed visiting children injured in the attacks at the Sheba Hospital, just outside Israel’s second-largest city, Tel-Aviv.

GREAT JOB! Israel National Team Head Coach Ran Ben Shimon, Youth Coach Ofir Haim & @PhilaUnion Star Tai Baribo visited children injured in the war at Sheba Hospital.
Photos IFA pic.twitter.com/cmT1Y1W0Jq

— Sports Rabbi (@thesportsrabbi) June 19, 2025

To compound matters, Baribo doesn’t have a clear idea of when he can leave Israel and return to the Union. He has been sorting out an application for a green card while he’s in Israel, according to Fox Sports The Gambler’s Joe Tansey:

Tai Baribo is still in Israel.

“We’re not sure when he’s going to return.” – Carnell.

I’m told Baribo had a green card appointment set up for early next week. That’s part of why he’s in Israel.

His injury timeline is at least a month with a calf issue.

— Joe Tansey (@JTansey90) June 15, 2025

But Israel’s airports are also closed amid the ongoing airstrikes with Iran, meaning even if Baribo had his green card situation sorted with the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, he wouldn’t be able to return to the United States until strikes between Iran and Israel ceased – something that doesn’t appear imminent.

Given the timeline of Baribo’s calf injury would likely have kept him out until at least their match with Nashville on July 5th, the Union have already come to terms with a the reality he wouldn’t be available for the upcoming matches against Chicago (June 25th) and Columbus (June 29th). With Mikael Uhre also out likely into July as he recovers from a sports hernia, we may see more of the formation changes Head Coach Bradley Carnell deployed against Charlotte and we may also need more late-game heroics from reserves like Markus Anderson (who may just have played himself into a start on Wednesday).

Beyond the games ahead on the Union’s schedule, the largest concern is for Baribo’s safety and other civilians on the ground. The proximity of Iranian strikes to Baribo and his family, per his wife’s social media posts, raise increasing alarm that the longer Baribo and his family are there, the greater the risk to their safety.

Bringing Baribo back to the U.S. safely is just one more reason, among many, to hope for a quick and peaceful end to the conflict unfolding.