Union draw at home against D.C. United in what was Tai Baribo’s return to Subaru Park

The Union and D.C. United played to a scoreless draw on Saturday evening in former Union striker Tai Baribo’s return to Subaru Park.

After starting their Major League Soccer season with six consecutive losses, the Union picked up at least a point for a second straight week. Saturday’s draw is the club’s first point at Subaru Park this season.

The Union (1-6-1, 4 points) controlled possession and outshot D.C., 17-6, but could not break through D.C.’s defense to claim all three points. Andre Blake secured the Union’s first clean sheet of the MLS season without making a save. The shutout was his 90th for the Union.

“I thought we controlled the game,” Union manager Bradley Carnell said. “We kept the game in the opponents’ half. Tough when only one team comes to play. … I thought we created numerous opportunities. Unfortunate not to score and take three points.”

Baribo was listed as questionable with a thigh injury entering Saturday night’s match, but he was able to start for D.C. (2-4-2, 8 points) in his first game back at Subaru Park since the Union dealt him to United in December.

Baribo scored the winning goal against his former side in the first meeting between the Union and United in February, but the Union kept him from finding the back of the net on Saturday. He was shown a yellow card in the 35th minute for making contact with Japhet Sery Larsen’s head during an aerial duel, prompting cheers from the River End.

The Union controlled the game throughout the first half, but were unable to convert a flurry of chances. Jesús Bueno nearly opened the scoring for the Union in the 12th minute with a blast from outside the top of the 18-yard box, but the midfielder’s shot went off the right post of Sean Johnson’s net.

Milan Iloski also tested Johnson from distance, launching a volley from well outside penalty area in the 25th minute that was punched away by Johnson.

“Sometimes if the defense is sagging off, and they’re playing really deep, it [can] open up shots from a bit more distance,” Iloski said. “I think it’s good to mix things up and sometimes shoot from afar, shoot from up close, cross the ball in, dribble inside. We have to have balance in our attacking.”

The Union nearly broke through again in the 41st minute as Indiana Vassilev played a centering ball to Bruno Damiani inside the penalty area, but Johnson made an improbable kick save with his back to the field of play to stop Damiani’s shot. The ball rebounded back out to Damiani, but the striker’s second shot went wide of the near post.

Johnson would finish with four saves on the night.

The game remained scoreless at the half, but the Union controlled the run of play for much of the match’s opening 45 minutes. That trend continued into the second half, with the Union launching five shots in the first 10 minutes after the restart.

“I thought we had excellent movement,” Carnell said. “We created chaos in the box. We created second phases. We controlled the second phases. If one goes over the line, then I think the game falls in a different way. They were hanging on for their dear lives, and they managed to get out of here with a point.”

Still searching for a goal, Union manager Bradley Carnell brought on Cavan Sullivan in the 64th minute to replace Vassilev in midfield. Carnell also swapped Danley Jean Jacques for Bueno in the 76th minute.

“We embrace the clean sheet,” Carnell said. “If we just held on by the skin of our teeth, then the feeling would be different. But the guys are confident. They’re feeling that they are in a way better spot. … The way the game unfolded, and the way they controlled the spaces defensively, a clean sheet was the logical solution and the outcome.”

The Union will travel north for a mid-week match against Toronto FC on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). Toronto (3-2-3, 12 points) started its season with back-to-back losses but is unbeaten in its last six MLS matches.