Prince Owusu’s late brace lifts CF Montreal to 3-1 win over FC Cincinnati

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In the 72nd minute, Owusu won a penalty — which he dispatched into the bottom-left corner — after pressing Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano and forcing a foul. Three minutes later, the Ghanaian international took advantage of a defensive miscommunication in the Cincinnati penalty area to impose himself and bag his brace.

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Daniel Rios’ scored the opener as Montreal (6-15-6) secured its first Major League Soccer win in seven games.

Tom Barlow scored Cincinnati’s (8-9-9) lone goal.

With nine players called up for international duty and MLS denying a request to reschedule the game, Montreal was left with only three outfield substitutes. This led to a significant change in formation, with head coach Phillippe Eullaffroy opting for a three-at-the-back formation.

“All of our wingers are on international duty, so we had to adapt to the players we had. It seemed like the optimal thing to do,” said Eullaffroy. “There’s a psychological effect as well. Having a reduced squad lifted the entire group, and they played for one another. We knew it was going to be hard (…) once we confronted that issue, we were able to move past it.”

The situation worsened when Brayan Ceballos was injured less than ten minutes in, with no defenders on the bench.

The change saw Fabian Herbers come into the midfield, providing a more offensive structure to the team. It worked in Montreal’s favour as it controlled more of the ball in advanced positions and opened the scoring in the 25th minute.

After Dawid Bugaj’s cross was poorly cleared, the second ball fell to Rios, who dispatched a volley into the bottom right corner and overpowered Celentano. The broader attacking move was orchestrated by new designated player Alexis Sanchez.

While the Chilean has taken a while to get up to speed, having now gone ten games at the club without a goal contribution, his deployment behind a striker pairing of Rios and Owusu brought out a new element of his game. While rarely popping up in the penalty area, Sanchez opted instead to pull the strings from deeper and opened up more space for others around him.

“Our connection gets better and better. We are communicating a lot and training, and outside the pitch If he finds you, you are through and facing the goal and the keeper. So, for me, it will get better and better every game,” said Owusu. “Once he gets the flow, and we get the connection, I think we will have a lot of fun and a lot of goals in the future.”

Cincinnati redoubled their efforts in the second half and pinned Montreal back in their half in search of an equalizer. In the 64th minute, the pressure paid off. After being left unmarked in the penalty area, Gerardo Valenzuela found Barlow at the back post for a tap-in.

Montreal’s reply was swift as Owusu helped secure three points.

“We told them the opposite (of managing their energy), we told them to go all out until the final whistle and empty the tank,” said Eullaffroy. “I think we managed the rhythm, of the game overall.

“Yes, they pushed a bit harder, and we had to suffer, but we came out of it very well. We’re a team that relies a lot on its effort out of possession, and tonight was was one of our best games without the ball.”

UP NEXT

Montreal: Will play the second Canadian Classique of the season, facing Toronto FC on the road on Oct. 10.

Cincinnati: Will travel to face Atlanta United on Oct. 10.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2026.

Elias Grigoriadis, The Canadian Press