Ezekiel Alladoh’s red card overshadows Tai Baribo’s revenge goal against the Union

WASHINGTON — On another night, the Union might have at least found an equalizer against D.C. United. Even down a man, the attacking substitutions were clearly wearing down D.C.’s defense in the final minutes Saturday.

But there was no equalizer, and when the final whistle blew, the biggest talking point from the Union’s side wasn’t Tai Baribo’s goal against his old team. Or the fact that United looked the most competent they have in years, against a new group of Union players that was further upended when Frankie Westfield was scratched from the lineup just before kickoff.

It wasn’t surprising that Baribo scored, since the “law of the ex” is as strong in soccer as in every other sport. He was polite after the game about the screams he released in the goal celebration, but one word he emphasized got a point across.

“It’s not because of Philly,” he said. “I love Philly, I love the fans, I love the club. But here I celebrate with my club, and I love the club here, and I love the fans here.”

It was even less surprising that the Union player most responsible for the play was Finn Sundstrom, the 19-year-old centerback who got thrown in the deep end at left back in his first MLS game. D.C.’s Gabriel Pirani snatched Sundstrom’s dinner money with a great bit of holdup play before feeding João Peglow to start a three-on-two break that Baribo finished with aplomb.

No, the thing that ended up mattering most was Ezekiel Alladoh’s red card in the 59th minute. The Union’s new record signing was battling for the ball with D.C. centerback Lucas Bartlett near the end line, shoved Bartlett over, then appeared to lean toward him and offer something. After that, as Alladoh walked away, he turned back toward Bartlett, pointed at him, and said a few more words.

» READ MORE: Tai Baribo gets some revenge on the Union, handing his old team a 1-0 loss to D.C. United

The only replay shown on the Apple broadcast was from a camera too far away to make clear exactly what was said. But referee Guido Gonzales Jr. heard it — in part because Audi Field was far from full — and did not hesitate to send Alladoh off.

In a written statement to the pool reporter from Washington’s WTOP radio station after the game, Gonzales said Alladoh “directed an obscene gesture and language” at Bartlett, and was ejected for “offensive, insulting, abusive language/actions.” No further details were given, and it remains to be seen if specifics will be published.

When Union manager Bradley Carnell spoke in his postgame news conference, he didn’t know the details yet either.

“Obviously, for a red card to be warranted, it’s unacceptable,” he said. “That’s first and foremost, and we have to learn from that.”

» READ MORE: An analysis of the Union’s roster at the start of the season, with new players in the mix

He did say Alladoh was taught during the preseason about MLS’s rules on derogatory speech, as all players and staff are.

“It’s easy when you’re in a classroom and on your zoom and you go through it, and you have a cold drink in your hand, and it’s all good,” Carnell said. “But when it’s the emotions, and there’s fans and everything, under those stress-pressure tests, I would call them, we just have to usher and nurture our guys within that environment. And hopefully they get to a point where they can regulate and then move on from one moment to another play.”

One moment from the aftermath bears highlighting for a positive reason. As a few Union players pleaded their case to Gonzales, Olwethu Makhanya went into the middle of them and pulled Alladoh out, telling him he needed to leave the field no matter what.

“Obviously we didn’t want it to get into our heads,” Makhanya said. “As soon as you realize you’ve got a red card — and he’s a new guy, he doesn’t understand some of the rules — but knowing the rules that as soon as you get a red card, you need to be off the field as soon as possible, that’s why I had to rush to him and try to get him off the field.”

» READ MORE: After a breakout season, Olwethu Makhanya is ready to be a leader for the Union

The moment was the latest sign of Makhanya’s growth as a leader on this team.

“He’s leading by doing, he’s leading by talking, and just his professionalism through the preseason,” Carnell said. “You can see a lot of growth from him over the last two months, assuming this role as a leader in that group.”

It raised a few eyebrows that Carnell turned to Sundstrom when Westfield said he couldn’t play, citing lingering effects of the hamstring tweak he suffered in Trinidad on Wednesday.

Carnell liked Sundstrom’s work in the preseason, and Sundstrom was serviceable in his late-game run at Defence Force. But starting an MLS game is a different beast.

» READ MORE: Andre Blake begins his 13th season with the Union, still waiting for fate to finally smile on him

Sundstrom played only the first half Saturday, withdrawn at halftime due to what Carnell said was a swollen ankle. Both Carnell and Japhet Sery Larsen praised Sundstrom’s overall work in the game, but that moment stands above everything else.

“Coming in today, thrown in, I think Finn did quite well,” Sery Larsen said. “He did his best. He was playing out of position as well. … It’s not easy, but we appreciate the job he did.”

And for the record, it did not raise eyebrows that Westfield wasn’t fully healthy. Grabbing a hamstring during a game needs little interpretation, even if there isn’t major damage — and even though Carnell said last Thursday that “it should be good.”

Westfield was walking gingerly as he left the Union’s locker room Saturday night. Although he said he’d be fine, his tone of voice gave the rest of the context.

» READ MORE: Agustín Anello took the long way back to the United States, then found familiar faces with the Union

At least help is on the way. The Union’s acquisition of left back Philippe Ndinga is over the line, a source with knowledge of the matter told The Inquirer. It’s just a matter of time until the official announcement, and crucially until Ndinga’s visa paperwork is settled.

Unfortunately, that is not to be taken for granted these days with the Gabon native who plays internationally for Congo — just as it’s unfortunate that the Colombia-born Geiner Martínez also faces visa issues. The club can only hope that both matters are settled quickly, given how much of the process is out of its hands.

The Union held an 11-7 edge in total shots, and 3-1 in shots on target. But the expected goals sums went 0.91 to 0.41 in D.C.’s favor, and the eye test went United’s way as well until the late stages.

“We won’t get too low on this result, but for sure we understand what teams are expecting against us, and how they’re going to play against us,” Carnell said. “And that’s something for us to be tuned into and dialed into from the very get-go.”

» READ MORE: Bradley Carnell never doubted his untested lineup in the Union’s win in Trinidad

Striker Bruno Damiani was clear-eyed about what didn’t work.

“Mostly we were always playing through the right side, and [D.C.] realized really quick,” he said. “So they [were] in to jump every time the ball went to that side. We created a very predictable attack, and I think that was our mistake.”

Damiani did not mention Westfield’s absence from the left side, but the rest of us could guess that it affected the balance. He did praise Cavan Sullivan’s positive contributions as a 70th-minute substitution, with impacts in open play and on a few well-served set pieces.

“I’ve been really, tough with him, because I want him to improve,” Damiani said. “I think he has everything that he needs to have success. … I’m happy that he is improving. I wish he keeps going that way, and maybe scoring a goal or getting more assists will still give more and more confidence to him.”