FC Cincinnati did everything possible to lose this game. They gave up the first goal, fell behind twice, lost a player to a red card before the hour mark, and still found a way to win.
Tom Barlow equalized with a shorthanded goal in the 80th minute, and Kévin Denkey settled the matter in the fourth minute of stoppage time, giving Cincinnati a 4-3 victory over CF Montreal on Sunday at home. The result moved the club to 2-3-0 on the season and extended their all-time series advantage over Montreal to 8-4-2, the most wins Cincinnati has recorded against any single club.
How the game unfolded
Montreal made an immediate impression. Newcomer Wiki Carmona, assisted by Prince Owusu and Bode Hidalgo, put the visitors ahead in the sixth minute for his third goal in as many matches. Cincinnati responded before halftime when Ender Echenique scored his first goal of the season in the 40th minute, converting with help from Alvas Powell and Matt Miazga. The goal gave Powell his first assist of the campaign and made him the fifth player in club history to reach 150 appearances for Cincinnati.
The lead did not last. Owusu scored in the 45th minute, assisted by Carmona and Iván Jaime, to send Montreal into halftime ahead 2-1. It was the 25th goal of Owusu’s career across 79 appearances.
Cincinnati leveled again seven minutes into the second half. Ayoub Jabbari scored his first career goal in his tenth appearance, with Echenique and Pavel Bucha each registering assists on the play.
Then came the red card. Miles Robinson was sent off in the 60th minute, leaving Cincinnati with ten men for the remainder of the match. Montreal took advantage almost immediately, retaking the lead to go ahead 3-2 and putting the home side in a position that looked increasingly difficult to escape.
The comeback
Barlow changed everything three minutes after coming off the bench. Scoring shorthanded and unassisted in the 80th minute, the newcomer tied the match 3-3 for his first MLS goal with his new club. The goal kept Cincinnati alive and shifted momentum back toward the home side despite the numerical disadvantage.
Denkey finished it. The forward, who recorded 15 goals in 29 appearances during his debut MLS season last year, scored unassisted in the fourth minute of stoppage time to complete the turnaround and send the home crowd home with something unexpected. It was his second goal of the current season.
Goalkeeper Evan Louro made four saves in his first start of the season and his sixth career start since 2024. Thomas Gillier, the 21-year-old Montreal goalkeeper, also finished with four saves in his 13th career start for the visitors, who dropped to 1-4-0 on the season.
What it means
The victory is the kind that can shift a team’s trajectory. Cincinnati had been struggling at 1-3-0 entering Sunday and found themselves playing with ten men for the final half hour against a side that had taken the lead. Winning that game, in that manner, requires something beyond tactical adjustment.
Barlow’s arrival off the bench and Denkey’s finishing ability in the moments that mattered most provided the answer on Sunday. For a Cincinnati side still searching for consistency early in the season, a comeback win of this nature carries weight beyond the three points.
Montreal visits the New England Revolution on April 4. Cincinnati travels to the New York Red Bulls the same day.
