Prince Osei Owusu was the star for Montréal, netting two goals, but it was not enough to secure a victory as they fell to Cincinnati. The home team saw goals from Ender Echenique (39’), Ayoub Jabbari (51’), Tom Barlow (79’), and Kévin Denkey (93’). The visitors’ goals were recorded by Wikelman Carmona (5’), followed by Owusu’s strikes at 44’ (penalty) and 63’ (penalty).
Echenique’s stunning goal at the 39th minute earned him accolades, skillfully converting a pass from Alvas Powell with a precise shot from inside the box.
Owusu’s outstanding performance, marked by his two goals and four shots on target, undoubtedly positioned him as the standout player of the match. On the other hand, Kévin Denkey also shone brightly for Cincinnati, finding the back of the net once and attempting two shots.
FC Cincinnati’s head coach Pat Noonan deployed a 3-5-2 formation, placing Evan Louro in goal. The defense was manned by Alvas Powell, Miles Robinson, and Matt Miazga. In midfield, Ender Echenique, Obinna Nwobodo, Evander, Pavel Bucha, and Bryan Ramírez were tasked with controlling the game, while Ayoub Jabbari and Kévin Denkey led the attack.
Meanwhile, CF Montréal, under Marco Donadel’s guidance, lined up in a 4-3-3 formation with Thomas Gillier as goalkeeper; Bode Hidalgo, Efraín Morales, Brayan Vera, and Luca Petrasso made up the defense; Wikelman Carmona, Victor Loturi, and Matty Longstaff formed the midfield; and Hennadii Synchuk, Owusu, and Iván Pajuelo were the forwards.
The match was officiated by referee Filip Dujic at the TQL Stadium.
Looking ahead, Cincinnati will face off against the New York Red Bulls, while Montréal is set to visit the New England Revolution in their next fixtures.
Substitutions for FC Cincinnati
65’ 2T – Matt Miazga for Teenage Hadebe and Ayoub Jabbari for Nick Hagglund.
76’ 2T – Pavel Bucha for Tom Barlow and Alvas Powell for Samuel Gidi.
87’ 2T – Obinna Nwobodo for Stiven Jimenez.
Cautions for FC Cincinnati:
17’ 2T – Matt Miazga (Dissent), 21’ 2T – Obinna Nwobodo (Unsporting behavior), 37’ 2T – Teenage Hadebe (Dissent), and 48’ 2T – Kévin Denkey (Removing shirt).
Sent Off for FC Cincinnati:
16’ 2T – Miles Robinson (Straight red).
Substitutions for CF Montréal
56’ 2T – Hennadii Synchuk for Opoku Kwadwo.
57’ 2T – Iván Pajuelo for Dagur Thórhallsson.
73’ 2T – Prince Osei Owusu for Daniel Rios and Wikelman Carmona for Samuel Piette.
83’ 2T – Matty Longstaff for Olger Escobar.
Cautions for CF Montréal:
2’ 2T – Hennadii Synchuk (Failing to respect the distance for the wall).