Amid conflict with Iran, Union forward Tai Baribo is still stuck in Israel. His return ‘remains fluid.’

Union forward Tai Baribo and his family are stuck in their native Israel amid escalating tensions between the nation and Iran.

Baribo, the leading goal scorer in Major League Soccer, left the team as one of eight Union players away on international duty. He traveled to compete with Israel’s national team after the Union’s May 31 game at FC Dallas. Israel played a pair of international matches, a FIFA World Cup qualifying game against Estonia on June 6 and a friendly against Slovakia on June 10 in Hungary.

However, Baribo, who returned to Israel following those matches, has been unable to return to the United States because of closures at multiple airports. The country continues to be subject to missile strikes from Iran, which entered its fifth day on Tuesday.

The reasons for his return to Israel were twofold. He planned to rehab a calf injury that flared up and ultimately kept him out of both matches. Also, a source with knowledge of Baribo’s travels said he planned to attend a previously scheduled meeting at the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem to complete his green card application.

However, the escalation of missile attacks between Israel and Iran led to the closing of Israeli airports and the U.S. embassy. It remains unclear when those will reopen, just as it remains unclear when hostilities will draw down.

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The exact whereabouts of Baribo, 27, who was born in Eilat, Israel, are unknown. Civilians reportedly have been caught in the middle of targeted attacks from Iran across the country, in which, according to CNN, 24 people have died.

On Monday night, Baribo’s wife, Linoy Barlev, posted images on her Instagram story that were shared before they expired by Pottstown-based soccer writer Jose Roberto Nuñez on X. The first appears to depict the aftermath of a missile strike, in which the caption reads, “This time it was a few minutes from us. Another crazy night. Take care of yourself.”

Another video showed a standing Baribo on his phone among others, presumably family and friends, hunkered down in what appeared to be a laundry or storage facility.

A request for comment from Barlev on the family’s situation was not returned at the time of this report. On Tuesday, the Union furnished a statement to The Inquirer regarding Baribo’s situation. The club said it has been in “constant communication” with the forward and that with the closure of airports, the Baribos’ return “remains fluid.”

“The Union are in constant communication with Tai and are actively working to bring him back to Philadelphia safely,” the Union said. “With the airspace currently closed, the situation remains fluid, and we are exploring all alternative options. Our priority is Tai’s safety and well-being. We will share more updates if and when it is appropriate.”

Baribo was on a tear for the Union before leaving for international duty. He led MLS with 13 goals in 16 matches and led the race for the league’s Golden Boot, which is given to the league’s top scorer. His last goals came in his brace in a 3-3 draw with Inter Miami on May 24.

The Union is enjoying a two-week respite with MLS on pause for the FIFA Club World Cup and the Concacaf Gold Cup running concurrently across the United States.

In addition to Baribo, the team is without defender Nathan Harriel and midfielder Quinn Sullivan, who are with the U.S. men’s national team, goalkeeper Andre Blake, who’s with Jamaica, and midfielder Danley Jean Jacques, who is representing Haiti. All are participating in the Gold Cup, which enters the second round of group stage matches this week.

The Union announced Tuesday that they’ve agreed to a deal with NBC Sports Philadelphia to televise game broadcasts on tape delay.

Though almost all live coverage will remain on Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass streaming platform, MLS rules allow teams to strike local deals for rebroadcasts. A number of teams have done so this year.

The league and the tech giant are well aware of how many fans have complained that games aren’t on traditional TV anymore, especially in cities like Philadelphia, where many sports fans still have cable subscriptions.

Union game rebroadcasts will be shown “48 hours to seven days following the live broadcast,” the team’s announcement said, depending on NBC Sports Philadelphia’s broadcast schedules. The first rebroadcast will be of this past Saturday’s dramatic 2-1 win over Charlotte FC, on Tuesday at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus.

The only regular-season games on traditional television are in a small package held by Fox Sports. The Union had just one game in that deal this year, and it aired in March.

Some other tournaments’ broadcast rights are sold separately. CBS owns the rights to the U.S. Open Cup, and Fox owns the rights to the Concacaf Champions Cup, although the latter deal expires soon. Apple owns the rights to the Leagues Cup, which the Union aren’t in this year, and some of those rights are sublicensed to Fox and Univision.

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