MONTRÉAL — FC Cincinnati found its equalizer Saturday night, then watched the match get away almost immediately thereafter.
Tom Barlow pulled the Orange and Blue even in the 64th minute, but Prince Owusu scored twice over the next 11 minutes as CF Montréal handed Cincinnati a 3-1 loss at Stade Saputo.
Montréal opened the scoring in the 25th minute when Daniel Ríos found space in the center of the box and beat Roman Celentano with his left foot. Cincinnati created several opportunities to answer before halftime, including a close-range effort from Ayoub Jabbari that Sébastian Breza saved in the 36th minute, but went into the break trailing 1-0.
FC Cincy increased the pressure after halftime and finally broke through in the 64th minute. Gerardo Valenzuela found Barlow in front of goal, and the striker finished with his left foot to level the match at 1-1. Evander was also credited with an assist on the play.
Cincinnati nearly grabbed the lead six minutes later when Kenji Mboma Dem struck the right post from inside the box. Instead, the match swung in the opposite direction almost immediately.
Celentano fouled Owusu in the box in the 70th minute and was shown a yellow card. Owusu converted the penalty two minutes later to put Montréal back in front, then struck again in the 75th minute. Daniel Ríos provided the final pass as Owusu finished from the center of the box to make it 3-1.
Cincinnati continued pushing late but could not find a way back into the match. Tom Barlow forced a save in the 80th minute, while Brian Anunga struck the crossbar in stoppage time before Alvas Powell sent the final chance over the goal.
The loss snapped Cincinnati's four-match winning streak against Montréal and continued a difficult stretch away from home. FCC has now gone winless in its last four MLS matches, following a loss at Philadelphia and draws against Charlotte and Houston.
What’s Next
FC Cincinnati enters the league's international break before returning to action Oct. 10 against Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
