'Messi will take MLS Golden Boot, that does not interest me,' Israeli star soccer striker to 'Post'

SEPTEMBER 20, 2026 08:54Tai Baribo has already scored 14 goals this MLS season, putting the Israel international among the league's leading scorers.But ask the DC United striker about the Golden Boot race, and he has little interest in pretending that catching Lionel Messi is what occupies his mind."First of all, I'm not looking at the Golden Boot at all," Baribo told The Jerusalem Post in an exclusive conversation in Washington. "In the end, Messi will take it. It doesn't really interest me.""I have my goals to achieve, and that's what interests me: my number of goals, getting into the playoffs with the team. That's what I'm aiming for, and that's what I'm going to achieve, God willing."But the conversation quickly moved beyond Baribo's own numbers.Tai Baribo #9 of D.C. United poses for a photo with a spectator after the MLS match between CF Montréal and D.C. United at Saputo Stadium on August 15, 2026 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada; illustrative. (credit: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)MLS has increasingly become a destination for Israeli players. Alongside Baribo in Washington, Liel Abada and Idan Toklomati play for Charlotte FC, while Dor Turgeman and Ilay Feingold are with the New England Revolution, and Sayed Abu Farkhi has also joined the growing Israeli contingent in the league.Each Israeli player succeeding in US soccer league makes path easier for next starFor Baribo, each Israeli who succeeds in MLS can make the path easier for the next one."When an Israeli player succeeds in a certain league, and people see it, then it really opens the door for the other players," he told the Post."I'm happy that more Israelis are coming. The league here is really good, the pace is high, and I'm sure anyone who comes here will enjoy it."That growing Israeli presence was on display Saturday night at Audi Field. Baribo started for DC United, while Abada and Toklomati both started for Charlotte, putting three Israelis on the field in the US capital.Charlotte ultimately won 2-1, but for Baribo and DC United, the most memorable moment may have been a goal that never appeared on the scoreboard.*'Everybody saw it except the referee'*Ashley Westwood gave Charlotte the lead in the 22nd minute before DC responded almost immediately after halftime, with Lucas Bartlett leveling the match in the 47th minute.Allan Saint-Maximin restored Charlotte's advantage in the 71st minute, and the visitors held on for the victory.DC continued to press for an equalizer and dominated the shot count, finishing with 31 attempts and 11 shots on goal, compared with Charlotte's 10 attempts and seven on target.Late in the match came the moment that left Baribo particularly frustrated. A DC effort appeared to have crossed the goal line, with replays also shown on the stadium's large video board, but no goal was awarded. Neither the on-field decision nor the review process that followed resulted in the goal being awarded.Baribo did not hide his frustration afterward."In the second half we were much better," he said. "We created a lot of chances, so unfortunately the ball didn't go in, actually, it went in. Everybody saw it except the ref.""This is unbelievable. You're fighting 90 minutes, you're fighting the whole season, and then they don't see a simple goal. But it is what it is.""We lost the game. We're still fighting for the playoffs. We hope to make it."Asked about the fight DC showed in the second half, Baribo returned to the disputed decision."It's frustrating," he said. "You have to understand my side. We are running, we are fighting, the owners invest money, and then a simple decision they don't see."Still, he refused to use the incident as an excuse."At the end, we lost," Baribo said. "We need to end it with that and continue to the next game."*'The better team doesn't always win'*Baribo also saw encouraging signs in DC's attacking performance, particularly after a previous match against Atlanta in which chances were harder to come by."First of all, it's a good thing that we have chances," he said. "Against Atlanta, I think we maybe didn't have even one. So it's improving, which is good.""Maybe we conceded the goal and then we started to go forward. We don't need to concede goals to start going forward, but it happened.""We created chances, we scored, and then at the end they scored the second goal and we were more dominant. I believe everybody saw that we were better today, but not always the better team wins."Israeli soccer star Tai Baribo praises atmosphere, support from DC United's fansBaribo also praised the atmosphere at Audi Field as DC pushed forward late."We were attacking toward our fans, which really helped us," he said. "The environment was amazing today. They really supported us.""Unfortunately, again today we lost, but it didn't end. We still believe that we can do it."For Baribo, the focus remains straightforward: his own scoring targets, DC United's playoff push, and continuing to establish himself in a league where more Israeli players are now following.Follow us on Google